My Dear
by coruscateangel
Summary: AU Cloti..Picture this Cloud,Vincent,Cid&Zack in a band called Avalanche..it's like a crossover between l'arc en ciel and ff7...with slight hint of Johnny's Ent boys NEWS...enjoy this..R
1. Chapter 1

**MY DEAR**

A/N – this song fanfic is dedicated to Hyde of L'arc en Ciel and Tegoshi Yuya from NewS..though they won't be reading it anyway. I don't own them or Final Fantasy characters and the song I used to make this fanfic. Somebody else owns them...

**CHAPTER 1**

The barmaid just glanced around the bar as the crowd was cheering on the band performing that night. She smiled as she saw the stoic face of Cloud as the vocalist who seemed to be in the world of his own. Tonight, he played the guitar like always. Zack, the bassist was teasing the crowd with his bouncy performance while Vincent as the lead guitarist practically didn't care about a thing happening around him. Cid, the drummer was beating the drum as he known the song they performed by heart.

That was the AVALANCHE; the uprising band that had currently made the bar she worked at became popular in just a few weeks and her boss seemed to be happy that the bar made a lot of profit. "Get me some wine," Scarlet said to the barmaid that had just worked in her bar for about a month.

"Here's Corel wine for you ma'am," Tifa said as she placed a glass of wine on the counter. Tifa knew that her boss was fond of Corel wine since she started to work there. Before working at this bar, she worked for 2 bars for the past 6 months and ended up being fired every time. And each time involved a perverted man, the well-known playboy; Don Corneo.

Scarlet took a sip of the wine and indulged every taste of it. She was enjoying this, each night her bar would be full-housed whenever this AVALANCHE band performed. She had to thank the new barmaid for introducing this band to her. "Tifa," she called as she lightened her cigarette.

"Yes ma'am?" Tifa looked at the sexily dressed woman sitting in front of her. "How much sale are we making tonight?" Scarlet enquired. "I haven't get the real amount yet since there are still sales going on," Tifa tried to roughly guess the sale tonight. Scarlet just let out a seductive laugh and puffed out some smoke from her red lips.

"Good, keep it up," she said with a satisfied smile. Tifa just nodded in acknowledgement.

There was a pause after the song was performed and then, the voice of the vocalist echoed in the bar. "The next song goes out to all of the barmaids in the house." The crowd cheered as they started to order more drinks. He eyed every one of them and landed his eyes on a particular girl leaning against the counter. "Good job, Cloud!" He heard one of them shouted.

Tifa just gave him a thumbs-up when Cloud looked at her direction. Cloud nodded before he turned to the rest of the band members and they started the next song. Cloud had known Tifa since they were from Nibelheim and they were neighbours. When he first migrated to Midgar, he met Zack; the bassist who saw him played the guitar and decided to form a band. It was actually Zack's idea.

Then, they came across Vincent who soon became the lead guitarist and Cid, the drummer who cursed every time he opened his mouth and he breathed tobacco's smoke instead of oxygen for life. Pretty soon, AVALNCHE started performing in any place they could before the owner of the bar, Scarlet hired them. It was due to Tifa's courtesy they got a place to play each week.

"Hey there sexy," a familiar voice that had became the source of Tifa's misery rang in her ears. "Hey, there Don," Scarlet greeted him in a playful manner. 'Not this one too!' Tifa sweat dropped as she saw Scarlet joked around with Don Corneo. It seemed like Don Corneo was a one of a kind pervert. He managed to find Tifa each time Tifa was fired from the previous bars.

Don Corneo stole a glance at the barmaid that was talking to Scarlet before he came. He was searching for her. He wanted her to be his girlfriend but the girl seemed to reject him each time just because he didn't get the hunch that normal girls hated perverts. Tifa just ogled her eyes from the pervert and made her way to leave the two of them alone.

"A new barmaid?" he pretended to ask Scarlet who was head over heels for him. He wasn't the type of guy that girl drooled for his look but for his money. He was proud when he could use these women to fulfil his needs just by spending some money on them. That was why he couldn't accept it when Tifa rejected him. She was the first woman to reject him and she was a girl from a small town.

Scarlet acted as if she was sulking when she heard him asked her that. "I thought I'm the only one?" Scarlet said and Don Corneo just smiled while pulling her closer to him. "I was just wondering. I saw her worked at several bars before this," he whispered to her ear and it made Scarlet giggled.

"She was but enough talk about her," Scarlet curled her hands around him and pressed herself to him.

"I just don't get it what does these women see in that old-fart," Tifa murmured under her breath as she was wiping some wine from the counter. "Oh, I forgot. Those women are too blind to see a pervert walking around them. I wish someday he would fall into a manhole and got lost in it. So that he won't make my life miserable anymore," Tifa cursed and it caught attention from Cloud who had just finished performing and was making his way towards her.

"Give me the hardest one and who's miserable?" He asked as he took a seat in front of her. "Me," Tifa sounded annoyed. "Who caused it?" he was getting interested; he always enjoyed making her annoyed ever since they were little children. "The oldest fart in history ever knows, Don Corneo the Pervert," she replied.

"Looks like he can't forget his first love," Cloud teased the brunette who snapped her head to him with a death glare especially for him. Cloud knew about Tifa's little problem with Don Corneo but he thought the guy was harmless. "I'm going to put poison in your drink someday," she warned Cloud. "You wouldn't. You can't live without me," Cloud mocked and it made Tifa more pissed.

"Maybe I would!" She raised her voice and shoved him the drink before retreating to the back. She needed to get away from everyone before she exploded. She could hear the evil laugh came from Cloud echoing in her mind though he never let it out and saw the most disgusting scene between the pervert and her boss. "I wish I didn't see that. Now I will have a nightmare about an old rag making out with an old fart for a week."

XXX

"Look, we don't need a manager for this one," Cloud said as he looked at the petit brunette in front of them who seemed to be bouncing around the room ever since she got the contract from a recording company.

"Are you kiddin' Cloud? You're gonna be famous! Everyone will watch you and admire you! And you guys are gonna owe me big time for it!" Yuffie was practically screaming as she talked. Cloud looked around the room to ask help from his band members.

"I don't have any problem with it," Vincent said when Cloud turned to him. Cloud looked at Cid, "I've already had enough problems. Don't give me another one." Cloud couldn't believe it! Does everyone else agree with Yuffie?

"Yeah, I think we would need her help since she went to talk to the recording company and all," Zack suddenly said and it made Yuffie yelped out in extreme happiness. "The group leader has decided to take me as your manager! There's nothing you can do about it Cloud! Ha! Ha!" Yuffie let out an evil laugh.

Cloud just looked away in defeat as he knew that there would be more trouble when Yuffie became their manager. "Whatever."

"Okay, so tomorrow at exactly 12 pm, be at the front of the Shinra Recording Company building. We're going to sign the contract," Yuffie started her job as the manager of the group. She took out a pile of papers and started to distribute them to the guys.

"I made some copies of the agreement. Make sure you go through it before you come to the Shinra building," Yuffie was smiling as she talked. Cloud looked at the paper in his hand. Maybe assigning Yuffie wouldn't be as much trouble as he thought it would be. She seemed pretty swift with her job.

"Oh, another thing, did you guys have clothes for tomorrow?" Yuffie asked them. There was a long pause in the room. "Duh, we're wearing it now," Zack said as a matter of fact. Yuffie made a disbelief face.

"Oh no no, you're not wearing _that_ tomorrow!" She started pulling each one of the guys to get up and out of the room. "We're getting something new for each and every one of you. For god's sake, we're gonna make a deal tomorrow. You don't get such chance everyday!" Yuffie started to babble and Cid just blew out a breath as he lit up a cigarette.

"And first impression is very important! You have to give a good impression on the people there!" Yuffie continued although nobody was listening to her. Vincent just closed his eyes as soon as he entered the car and was soon fell asleep.

Zack who was sitting next to the non-stop talking Yuffie made a save-me face as he turned to Cloud. Cloud just gave him a confused look and thought silently, 'Talk to him more, babbling Wutai girl. After all he was the one who think he needed you for this.'

XXX

"This is all crap," Cid said as they sat the bar to go through the agreement. "Yeah, I have to agree with you," Zack was practically laughing as he read the agreement. "I mean look at it. 'No night clubbing, don't get involve with band mates romantically.' What do they think we are? A bunch of instruments-playing gays?" Zack was hysterical.

"They're acting like mothers," even Vincent thought the agreement was a little ridiculous. "We can't get married, we can't accept any performance without their approval and we have to live in the same house?" Cloud made a shocked face.

"I ain't gonna live with guys ever. I'd rather bite my tongue and die," Cid followed finished his sentences with a series of curses in three different languages.

"These are the rules for new band like us. Usually, band members have other places where they can live peacefully and the house is just a place to get together. After a year, we'll sign another contract with different agreement," Vincent explained.

"Really? How'd you know about it?" Zack looked interested suddenly. "Yuffie told me a few things about it," Vincent replied and it made Zack's eyes lit up. "I sense romance between you two," Zack teased as he nudged Vincent.

"There's nothing between us. Not like what you think," Vincent shoved Zack from him. "Oh ho ho, he's shy! Everyone, Vincent's shy!" Zack announced and it made a few customers turned their heads. "Be quiet! You're attracting unnecessary attention," Vincent said as he went to the counter to get a drink for him.

"Oh, come on!" Zack called him but Vincent just ignored him. Cloud soon followed Vincent and met Tifa. "Like a man can control his hormones," Vincent heard Cid said before he joined to laugh with Zack.

"So, you got the contract?" Tifa asked as soon as the two musicians took their seats respectively. Cloud nodded. "Congrats! I knew you guys can pull that one off!" She said enthusiastically. "Thanks Tifa. The usual please," Vincent said.

"But, you need to talk to Scarlet about it," Tifa reminded them. "We did and it wasn't easy and ugly," Vincent replied as he put his head in his hand with a sigh.

Tifa raised a brow in a questioning manner but her hands started mixing the drink for Vincent right away. "That's because Yuffie brought us shopping for the whole day," Cloud simply said on Vincent's behalf. Inside, Vincent was glad at least someone in the band understood him.

Tifa could imagine the four of them went for shopping with Yuffie. She must have been dragging them all over the place.

"Don't tense up. Come on, it's just the beginning," Tifa tried to cheer up the exhausted man before her. "I'm not. I'm sleepy," Vincent said. Tifa chuckled at his behaviour. "Here you go," she gave a glass of wine to Vincent.

She turned to Cloud and gave him his drink, "The hardest for the vocalist. They're both on the house," Tifa whispered just loud enough for them to hear her. She would get into trouble if Scarlet found out about it.

"Thanks Tifa," they said in unison and took a sip of their drink. Out of the blue, Cloud choked out and looked into his drink. "What is this?" he asked between his cough. "Raisins?" he was confused. "No one put raisin in their drinks," he thought out loud.

"I know but I just wanted to put some in yours. It's the most disgusting thing I could find in the kitchen. For the other night," Tifa smiled innocently but Cloud could see she was getting back at him. Vincent just let out a small smile at the two childhood friends' behaviour.

"You're impossible," Cloud complained as he fished out the remaining raisins in his glass. 'It's not nice to waste good drinks especially if it's on the house.' Tifa continued to smile before walking away, "I'll take that as a compliment thank you."

"Raisins?" Vincent was frowning. "At least she could put something else much more disgusting than that," he added as he watched Cloud took out the raisins from his drink.

"And she was the one who has something against raisin," Cloud told Vincent who just sweat-dropped. "What was she thinking?" Cloud just shrugged his shoulders.

"For someone who had so many admirers back in Nibelheim, she sure can be so evil. No wonder they don't dare to come any closer than just friends," Cloud said as he finished his drink. "At least you know she's not the type who just let people bully her," Vincent said.

Cloud just nodded before a barmaid came to them. "Someone gives this to you Cloud. They're looking forward for your performance tonight," she said as she pointed to a direction. Cloud turned with creased brows and saw a group of girls smiled to him as they raised their glasses to him. He just nodded in return.

"Gongaga brandy? I hate it," Cloud murmured as he landed his eyes on the glass. "You drink it," he gave the signal to Vincent. Zack was from Gongaga. "Now Cloud, you know what it means when someone buy you a drink but you give it to someone else," Vincent refused to drink it. It wasn't his favourite either.

"What does that mean anyway?" Cloud turned to Vincent. Vincent thought for a moment before meeting Cloud's eyes. "I'm not so sure myself," Vincent's answer made them wondered who made the stupid rule.

"Just drink it. We're on in 10 minutes," Vincent reminded Cloud. Cloud took the glass in his hand and drank the content in a single gulp while making a disgusting face. After finishing it, he quickly got up to go to the backstage just in time before the girls could make their way to him.

"Bloody hell, it even smells like Zack," Cloud felt disgusted. Vincent just let out a small smile but deep down he knew that Cloud and Zack were closer than brothers.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Ever since the contract was signed, AVALANCHE had to work extra hard for their first break through single. The song will determine whether AVALNCHE will be given a chance to be under their label to record their album or they will be kicked out.

"You haven't got any idea yet?" Zack was nervous as he looked at the calm-looking Cloud. Cloud closed his eyes as he leaned against the couch. Honestly, he hadn't got any idea for their first single.

"You can't force to get a beautiful song. We have to find inspiration, for the lyric and the music," Vincent said as he picked on his bass strings. Even he was locked up.

Vincent and Cloud composed most of their songs together but Vincent usually managed to compose the music once he knew what kind of lyrics will be written by Cloud.

"It's not point to wait here any longer. We'll have to wait until Cloud finds something," Cid said as he started to put on his jacket. "It's Friday night and I ain't gonna spend it with guys."

Even Vincent started to pack up his stuff and leave with Cid.

"We only have until Monday," Zack was extremely worried if they couldn't compose any song by Monday. As the group leader, he would be held responsible. And being punished by Yuffie would be his worst nightmare.

"And I've told Yuffie we've already started practising," Zack let out his little lie. Cloud was sure that was the main reason Zack was really anxious. He opened his blue eyes and stared at the ceiling, still couldn't get a tune.

"Don't worry, I'll get it before nightfall tomorrow," Cloud said that almost sounded confident. "Really?" Zack eyes beamed. Cloud just nodded as he rose from his seat. "No sweat."

"I'm saved!" Zack was overjoyed and jumped up. Cloud just smirked at his reaction and walked away. Obediently, Zack followed from behind and once at the car park, they went separate ways.

Zack entered his car and gave signal to Cloud as if to say, 'I'm counting on you.' Cloud raised his hand in return and started his Fenrir's engine. As he watched Zack sped off, he let out a sigh and thought, 'I'm dead.'

XXX

It was a different story at the bar. Ever since AVALANCHE had stopped performing at the bar, people started to stop visiting the bar and the sale started to slow down and it was back to square one.

Each and every barmaid was being blamed for not attracting customers. Somehow, Tifa felt as if Scarlet was blaming her though she never said it out loud. It was obvious from her actions.

"I don't know how long I will be able to stay here," Tifa murmured under her breath but one of the barmaids, Jess heard her. "Don't worry, we just need to find another live performances, then she'll be out of PMS mood," Jess tried to cheer her up.

"I feel like she's blaming me for everything that had happened," Tifa said softly to make sure no one else heard her. "Everyone feels that. Don't give up so soon. It's hard to find other job these days," Jess replied as she gave Tifa another tray of wet glasses waiting to be dried.

"You sure is patient," Tifa said as she picked up a dry towel and started to dry the glasses before arranging them on the rack.

"I can't let this job go no matter what. My whole family is depending on me," Jess said and it made Tifa admired her more. At least she still has a home. Tifa's only home is the bar. Scarlet provided lodging for the workers and Tifa wouldn't have anywhere to go if she leaves here.

Then, the door was swung open and entered the last person Tifa wanted to see right then. "Welcome sir, please have a seat," Jess greeted the man, Don Corneo. Tifa just remained silent.

Don Corneo looked around the empty and lifeless bar. Then, he turned to the two young women. "Where's Scarlet?" he inquired.

Jess was the last one who saw Scarlet practically screaming her head off when she knew about their sales that night. "I'll go get her." Jess turned and left Tifa on the pervert to call Scarlet.

Don Corneo sat at a table near the counter and eyed the brunette in front of him who seemed to concentrate on her work more than him. "How's the business here lately?" Don Corneo broke the silence.

"Not so good," Tifa replied without looking up. It made him felt as if she was challenging him. "Really?" he said without interest.

Tifa didn't respond. "My offer is still on," he tried to pique Tifa's interest. Tifa lifted her head in wonder. "What offer?" the question came out without her noticing and she wished that she could swallow everything back.

"Be with me and this place will be full house once again," he said and Tifa just sighed. He sure doesn't understand the language she used to speak. "No."

Don Corneo rose from his seat and walked around the room while laughing. He made his way behind the counter and eyes the bottles of wines and glasses that were arranged neatly on the rack.

Tifa felt suspicious when he entered behind the counter but she kept cool. Then, he stopped right behind Tifa and Tifa turned as she felt uncomfortable with the man behind her. "What do you want?" her voice was slightly annoyed as she looked at the stout man.

Don Corneo didn't say anything. Tifa wished Jess would be a little faster to get Scarlet.

"I can give you all the money you need to live throughout your life and you won't have to work anymore. And if it's Scarlet you're worried about, I'm just fooling around with her," he was speaking softly and it made Tifa shivered in disgust.

Tifa crossed her hands in front of her chest and said in determination. "Read my lips and don't make me repeat it again, ever! KEEP YOUR MONEY AND LEAVE ME ALONE," she said one word at a time as if she was talking to a kid.

Don Corneo knew this would be her answer and he didn't let his chance slip. Once he saw she let her guard down, he pounced at her.

Tifa was nearly falling to the ground when the pervert tried to grab her. She used all of her might to fight back but he managed to grasp both of her hands and pinned her between him and the counter.

Tifa found an opening and kick him on his groin and the man weakened for a while. Tifa took the opportunity and tried to make her way from him but he pulled one of her legs. Tifa stumbled and as she fell, she accidentally tripped the tray of glasses with her hands.

In a few seconds, the glasses were scattered on the floor and some of it injured her left arm. She didn't pay attention to her bleeding arm but more to escape from the predator.

She kicked at Don Corneo's hand but he didn't let her go. Instead, he forced himself on top of her and pinned her down. At this rate, Tifa lost her courage and she was scared. Every female would when she saw a man forcing himself on top of her.

She tried to struggle free but her efforts showed off her nervousness. She prayed silently and using the last bit of her strength, she forced her trembling hands to push the man off her.

It was at the exact moment Scarlet and Jess entered the room and saw the scene in front of them. "What the hell are you doing?!" Tifa was so relief when she heard Scarlet's voice. Don Corneo was shocked and Tifa took the chance to free herself from him and sat a few metres away.

Tifa was still shaking from the horror and looked at the blonde woman. Much to her disbelief, the look in Scarlet's eyes was shooting at her as if she was guilty.

"Are you trying to seduce my boyfriend?!" She screamed at Tifa. Didn't she see what just happened? Is she really blind? Her boyfriend had sexually attacked her.

"YOU BITCH! I'll never want to see you face ever again!" Scarlet shouted and she grabbed Tifa's bleeding arm and squeezed it tight. Tifa yelped put in pain but Scarlet ignored her.

"Get out!" She screeched as she pulled Tifa to walk and shoved her out from the bar as the other barmaids could only watch. Once she opened the door, she pushed Tifa down from the steps and Tifa stumbled down and fell onto the ground.

She was in pain and she could hear Scarlet's high pitch voice echoing in the dark street. "Get out from here and don't ever some back! My life has been a hell since you arrived! Now you're trying to steal my boyfriend from me behind my back!"

Tifa gather all her strength and forced herself to her feet. "Shut up," her voice was hoarse. "You will always be in hell and please rot in there. If there's any bitch around here, it would have blond fur with red lips and thick make ups to hide up the wrinkles."

Without waiting for any respond from Scarlet, Tifa turned her heels and walked away with her pain being suppressed for a while. Until Scarlet is out of sight, then she couldn't yell or cry out loud.

Tifa heard Scarlet let out a banshee scream before a loud thud that came from the bar's door.

XXX

Tifa just wondered aimlessly around the dark street and even the street thugs looked better than her. Tifa never lifted her head and continued to walk. A few times a car would honk at her because she was blocking the way.

She entered any road she saw and continued to walk. She wondered where she would go. Would she sleep on the street tonight? Or will she sleep under the bridge like a homeless person?

Tifa walked and walked until she couldn't feel her feet any longer. She stopped in front of a normal-looking apartment and recognized it immediately. It was where Cloud lived.

She wouldn't want to disturb him in the middle of the night looking like a banshee that had just lost a child. She saw a small park and made her way to it. She sat on of the swing and suddenly she felt everything pouring back in.

As if on cue, it started to rain as if to reflect the pain Tifa felt. Tifa felt like crying and screaming but will it make any change? She let her mind drift off and the rain soaked her completely.

Not far from there, Cloud had just parked his bike and was a little drenched form the sudden downpour. He was about to made his way back to his unit when he saw a familiar figure sitting in the rain at the park.

Her long and wet dark hair covered her face but he could recognize her even in a sea of humans. The figure seemed to be in a daze and didn't notice he was watching her.

He eyed the figure in question. "What is she doing here?" he said to himself. 'One way to find out,' he thought before dashing out into the rain while making his way towards the brunette.

'I wonder if I could feel asleep like this. I'm too tired to move,' Tifa closed her eyes in an attempt to forget everything. Tifa felt her breath getting heavy from containing all her emotions to herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw someone stopped in front of her. "Tifa?" his voice send a gush of relief waves throughout her system and she looked up.

When Tifa lifted her head after he called her name, he was shocked to see the look in her eyes. He had only see that look only once before this, during her parents' death. Her parents somehow got tangled up with loan sharks when they became a guarantor for a friend and ended up being killed by the brutal loan sharks.

"What happened to you?" Cloud asked but Tifa couldn't form any word to reply. It was as if he was talking in a language she couldn't understand.

That was when Cloud realized it was the wrong question. "Stupid," he scolded himself. "Don't answer me. Come on, let's get you dry off," Cloud held out his gloved hand to her.

Tifa didn't blink her eyes as she looked at her saviour at that time. While she was looking like a banshee that had just finished a marathon, he on the other hand looked like an angel even in the rain. The rain just maximizes his perfect complexion.

It took Tifa a few moments to take his hand as he helped her to get up while limping. He slowly guided her to the car park with words like 'careful, watch out and slowly.' He didn't complain at all.

Once they reached the front door of his unit, Tifa felt weak and nervous all at once. Does Cloud feel like she's a burden for coming to him in the middle of the night? As he unlocked the door, he let her in before closing it back.

"I'll get some clean towels for you," he said before disappearing in one of the room. He came back a few seconds later and gave her a dry towel.

"You go dry yourself in the bathroom and I'll give you some dry clothes," he guided her to a room and opened the door for her. Once he closed the door, she entered the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror.

She really looked like a banshee and it all thanks to Don Corneo and Scarlet, the destructive couple that would probably made everyone around them miserable.

Then, she began cleaning herself on automaton. She scrubbed her skin hardly that leave red marks and washed her hair and let the warm water cleaned all the dirt she carried with her.

The wound on her arm sting but she contained the pain and washed herself thoroughly so that there was no trace of Scarlet on her skin.

She used the towel to dry herself and when she was out from the bathroom, she saw a pair of pants and a shirt on the bed. The outfit fit her nicely.

She put them on and just sat on the edge of the bed. She waited a few minutes and she heard a knock on the door. Cloud opened the door with slowly. "I've made some hot drinks. Come and join me at the living room."

Tifa just followed what he said like a puppet and took a seat on the couch. Cloud sat next to her and handed Tifa a mug. Tifa took it silently and drank it. Gladly, it had the same effect as Cloud's voice. It soothed her and she took a deep breath.

"Let me cover that. You don't want to get an infection right?" Cloud motioned to the wound on her left arm. Tifa shook her head and suddenly felt like a child. Cloud knew Tifa was still under shock because she hadn't uttered a word since he met her just now.

While Cloud carefully bandaged her arm Tifa took the chance to look at his house this time more in detail. His house was just like every unmarried male she had ever seen. It was a simple house but everything in the house was not in order.

There was some clothes still hanging at the balcony and Tifa could tell the clothes had been there for at least a week. It was a bachelor's house without anything that could indicate the owner had creativity. Overall, it was a nice place to stay.

"Hey Cloud," Tifa's voice was a little hoarse because she hadn't been speaking for a long time. "Hm?" Cloud shifted his eyes to look at her. He could tell she was evaluating the house silently.

"How much did you rent this house per month?" Tifa asked as she got interested to find a place of her own though she didn't have much money in her saving. "About 200 gil, this is a low-cost apartment," Cloud replied before he continued bandaging her arm.

Tifa just nodded while doing some thinking on her own. Maybe she could rent a unit around here. At least it was close to someone she knew. The thought made her feel at ease. Then only she would feel safe if she would ever meet someone like Don Corneo.

The thought of Don Corneo made her shivered and the past event flashed back in her mind. That man was a beast. Tifa could still remember the evil look in his eyes when he hovered above her.

Cloud noticed Tifa suddenly shuddered even though the room was warm. He also saw the scared look across her face and it made him wondered what had happened. Tifa wasn't the type of person that easily gets scared or shocked like the way she is right now.

"So, are you going to tell me what really happened?" Cloud asked, after finished bandaging Tifa's arm. Tifa didn't answer right away. She lowered her head and she let her hair covered her face, as if to hide her from him.

Cloud pursed his lips together and leaned back as he blew out his breath. Tifa noticed his reaction and realized that _she_ was the one who came to him in the middle of the night and troubled him. The least she could do was telling him what happened to her.

"I lost my job," Tifa said without lifting her head. "And all of my belongings. Scarlet threw me out," she added before stopping for a breath.

"Don Corneo?" Cloud asked as if it was something to be expected. "He was Scarlet's boyfriend. She thought I was trying to seduce him behind her back."

"On what basis?" Cloud questioned again. As much as he knew, Tifa hated Don Corneo. Everyone could see that. Tifa remained silent for a while. "He forced himself on me," Tifa said just barely.

Cloud's brows arched as he turned to Tifa. "You mean he tried to _rape_ you?" Cloud corrected her in a high voice. Tifa felt as if she was a deer facing a hungry wolf right then. Cloud quickly got control of himself and calmed his anger.

"That bastard, he'll pay for what he did," Cloud muttered under his breath but Tifa caught his words. "No, don't do anything to him, please," Tifa begged as she turned to see an infuriated Cloud beside her.

Cloud frowned at her, not understanding why she would do that. "I don't want to get involve with him anymore. If you do something to him and he found out about you, you're finished. Especially if he knew you know me," Tifa explained eagerly so that Cloud wouldn't try anything that might jeopardize himself.

Cloud just let his stern expression on his face remained for a while as he thought about it. He knew she was right and he felt hopeless knowing that he couldn't do anything about it. Cloud decided to change the topic.

"Why are you asking about my apartment?" Cloud asked though he got the hint she wanted to rent a unit here. "I'm looking for a place, but I don't have much in my account. I think the price here is quite okay," Tifa explained.

Cloud just nodded before getting up from the couch. "You can stay here," he offered. Tifa looked up at him. "It's safer and much cheaper this way."

"But I think I should pay you monthly. I don't wanna be a freeloader," Tifa replied as she felt a little glad. "I can't offer much but I'll find a work tomorrow."

Cloud crossed his arms and shook his head, this girl is so persistent. All he wanted to do is help her. After all, before he left Nibelheim to look for a job in Edge, she made him promised her to save her whenever she's in bind.

"I don't want your money, Tifa. We've known each other since we were in cradles. I just want to help," Cloud said in a low voice. Tifa felt a little bit guilty. She pressed her lips together and thought for a moment.

"Fine then, but I'll still find a work tomorrow," she announced. Cloud just nodded in please but said, "Just don't work in a bar. He'll find you."

Tifa just shrugged but silently, she agreed with him. "And Cloud, thanks."

XXX

After Tifa retired to "her room", Cloud realised he needed to do one more thing. He took out his cell phone and dialled a number. He waited for a few seconds and a rough voice rang in his ears. "Hey Barret, are you feeling like letting off some steam tonight?"

Well, Tifa said she didn't want him to get involved with Don Corneo but she never said any of their friends couldn't. "Whadda ya have in mind Cloud?" Barret was curios. He was feeling a little steamy after all.

"Well, you know Don Corneo?" Cloud asked and the rest of the conversation remained a secret.

Cloud talked to Barret for about 10 minutes before he felt satisfied and hung up the phone. He blew out a contented sigh and placed his cell phone on the coffee table.

He walked slowly to Tifa's room and opened the door as silent as he could. He saw she had already fallen asleep with a peaceful look on her face.

Cloud had been secretly having a crush on her ever since they were in Nibelheim. There were a lot of boys liked Tifa too but Tifa seemed to be ignorant about it. Whenever Tifa's circle of friends would tease Cloud, she would stand up for him.

Cloud and his mother were always looked down by the villagers because his father left them. Cloud never knew why his father did it and he never asked his mother about it. His mother would break down if Cloud mentioned anything about his father.

Only Tifa's family was nice towards them and Tifa was the only one who always played with him and she treated him as a normal person. That was one of the reason Cloud enjoyed her company. His mind drifted off to a memory he had as a child.

_"Come on, we're going to select out team members," Joh__n__n__y__ shouted as every kids gathered all around him. It was the annual Nibelheim's celebration and there will be a lot of interesting activities will be held out. _

_For the kids, there were games and sports for them to compete and the winner will be given a free supply of groceries for a month. The most awaited event is the relay race because usually the winner of the event will get the highest mark and it can help the team to win greatly._

_Cloud just watched from afar the kids were talking and discussing on how to form a team and he saw Tifa was being asked by everyone to be their team mate. She wasn't a sprinter but she could run fast._

_"Look, __it's__ Cloud. What is he doing here?" one of the girl pointed to his direction. Everyone turned silent at once. Cloud suddenly felt he doesn't belong there and being outcast. _

_He was about to retreat when he heard Tifa calling him, "Cloud! You came." She ran towards the confused blonde. When she reached him, she took his hand while smiling. Cloud felt his cheeks burning as he looked at the happy-looking Tifa._

_"Come on," she said as she pulled him to follow her. "Ah..." Cloud almost stumbled as he followed her while every eye was fixed on them. _

_"Let's form the team now. Everyone's here already," Tifa announced and suddenly it was noisy again. Cloud looked at her in amaze. She really has a charm with people._

_After a while..._

_Cloud ended up in a different group with Tifa and he felt awkward with the other 3 kids. "No worry Cloud. We'll win for sure," one of the boys said to him. _

_"Though I can't run fast, but I'll sure will just for Tifa," a fat boy said with enthusiasm. Cloud raised his blond brows in question. It was the girl who told him the deal. "The boys are planning that whoever wins will get to kiss Tifa during the prize-giving ceremony."_

_Cloud's jaw dropped opened. "Does Tifa know about this?" Cloud asked in respond. The girl shook her head. Cloud wasn't sure how Tifa would react if that really happened. He could feel that Tifa won't be too pleased about it, or maybe she wouldn't mind. Which one is it?_

_"Let's go practice, we can't lose to them," the thin boy said while looking at Joh__n__n__y__'s team direction. __"Yeah, let's go!" the girl shouted and they started to warm up._

_It was the most crowded time of the year. Every single villager went to the field to support their children. Cloud was the last person for his team and he had to go against Tifa. She smiled at him and said, "I won't go easy on you."_

_Cloud just smirked back at her remarks. She stretched herself and got into position. Cloud looked back to see his team mates and raised his hand in a ready gesture. The referee, also the mayor of the town raised the flag in his hand and readied to blow his whistle._

_Cloud watched from a distance as the referee brought down the flag as he blew his whistle loudly. In a second, the field was deafened by screams and cheers for the relay race. "Hurry up!" Cloud could hear Tifa cheering for her team mates. _

_Cloud just watched as the girl in his team ran as fast as she could to leave behind 4 other people behind her. __'Quite fast for a girl.'_

_She ran as once she reached the fat boy, she passed the baton and the fat boy continues the race. "Cloud!" he heard his mother's voice called him. Cloud looked around the Cloud and saw his mother's face among the cheering crowd waving at him._

_He waved back and he saw his mother mouthed, "All the best." He just nodded with a small smile and gets readied once he saw the thin boy started to run. He was head to head with the second person and Cloud could tell he was sprinting like hell._

_"Faster!" Tifa was jumping from where she was standing and seeing her like that made her team mate ran even faster. He managed to leave behind Cloud's team mate. _

_"Just a little bit more," Tifa said and the boy rushed towards her as he gave out the baton to Tifa. Just a few moment before the baton reached her hand, Tifa smirked to Cloud, "Catch ya later Cloud." And with that, she dashed away leaving behind a provoked Cloud. _

_Cloud prepared himself and once he got hold of the baton, he ran on top of his speed and he ran like he was chasing a chocobo. He was a boy and he was confident that he can catch up with Tifa who was just a few metres from him._

_Cloud set his eyes while smiling as her figure became closer to him. It was nearing the end of the track and as if on cue, Tifa turned her head slightly when she heard the crowd grew louder. Someone was catching up with her._

_When Tifa saw the blonde boy behind her, she forced herself to run even faster though she was panting. Just as Cloud was about to overtake Tifa, he quickly grabbed Tifa's free hand and ran along with her. Tifa was a little shocked but she just followed him._

_They ran together until they reached the end of the track and won the race hand in hand. It was a good feeling for Cloud, to win together with Tifa. Both of them were catching up their breath and everyone was cheering even more loudly._

_"We win!" Tifa was excited as she turned to Cloud. "Yeah," Cloud responded while smiling. The question that he thought of earlier rang in his head once again. Will she really be angry? Well, one way to find out._

_Tifa was waving at her father who was giving her a thumb-up when she suddenly felt Cloud pulled her to face him. In a quick movement, the taller boy placed his lips on hers and she could feel her heart exploded._

_Her eyes were huge and she was thunderstruck as she felt as if she was soaring in the sky. Cloud's soft lips pressed on hers right in front of everyone and she felt as if they were on display. He pulled back as he let her hand go and she quickly covered her mouth with her hands._

_'Oh __my gosh__! I just had my first kiss!' Tifa's face was flushing from the shyness and the race. Cloud blushed as he never thought he would really do it, not in front of everyone and not in front of Tifa's father or worse, his mother._

_'I'm dead,' he thought as he saw his mother was laughing with all of the adults when they saw the scene. Tifa was still in a shocked state when he looked at her. Then, he felt someone ruffled with his head and when he looked up, it was Tifa's father._

_He was laughing, "Such a daring boy you have become Cloud. You've really grown up." He continued to laugh when he saw his daughter's reaction._

_"Oh my, you're still in shock dear. Poor Tifa," Tifa felt Cloud's mother pulled her into a motherly embrace but she still couldn't avert her eyes from Cloud. "That was my first kiss," she stated. Cloud's mother chuckled as she brushed Tifa's hair._

_"Wait till I get my hands on you Cloud!" Tifa suddenly said and on instinct, Cloud made a run this time for his life. Tifa chased him from behind as the crowd continued to laugh at the two actions._

_"And I got all that on record," the local store owner said as he snapped the pictures on the blonde boy being chased by a brunette girl._

The after-effect of the incident wasn't so nice. The local boys became more violent with him and he became a teasing object of the girls.

Tifa didn't speak to him for two days and when he came by to her house to apologize, his father told him, and she was too shy to face him. Nevertheless, he still allow him to meet her and they made up.

And until today, it became a sensitive issue and Tifa will get extremely upset if anyone mentioned about the incident. It was fun for Cloud to watch her that way.

Cloud watched her sleep for a little while. Suddenly, he got a smooth rhythm playing in his head. He hummed slowly to let his ears listened to the rhythm. He smiled a little as he got something to start for their new single.

He quickly closed the door and entered a room that was filled with musical instruments. It was the room the AVALANCHE used for practising. There were two electric guitars, a bass, a set of drums, a piano, which he rarely used and a classic guitar.

Cloud took a pen and started to write the lyrics that was flooding his mind.

_Kisetsu __wa__ iro wo kaete ikudo megurou to mo__…_

_The seasons will go around many times changing colours_

XXX

The next morning when Tifa woke up, she felt a little better than she had all night. She went out from her room and saw that Cloud was not in the house anymore. She saw a note was placed at her door.

_"Just eat anything in the fridge. I'm meeting the guys."_

_-Cloud-_

Tifa went to the refrigerator and opened it. She raised her brows when she saw the contents. All she could see was Amino-D drinks and junk foods. "He survived with these? Impressive!" Tifa said sarcastically before closing back the door.

"Now, it's time for him to learn the name of vegetables," Tifa announced to herself and check her purse. She still got some gil left and it was more than enough to buy something for her to cook.

"I know I can depend on you Cloud!" Zack patted Cloud's back as he looked at the new song Cloud has composed. "Don't touch me," Cloud warned him and he quickly removed his hands away from him.

Then, Cloud turned to Vincent. "I need you to work on the melody. It doesn't sound right. It didn't fit the lyrics," Cloud explained as he handed Vincent the lyrics and the notes. At just a glance Vincent could tell what was wrong.

"If you feel the lyrics, it doesn't suit for the melody you composed, too fast-paced. It should have something like..." Vincent stopped and picked on the guitar strings. Cloud listened a little while nodding. 'Yeah, that was how it felt,' he thought.

Mentally, he felt the music coming to him as if the music knew him. Cloud closed his eyes and followed Vincent's tune. "Jojoushi," he murmured without realizing it.

"Huh? What did you say?" Cid turned to face Cloud. "Jojoushi- The Poetic Lyric, the name for the song," Cloud decided as looked up at his band mates. They nodded in agreement.

"Now let's practise!" Zack announced and picked up his guitar.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"Marlene, get the door!" Tifa called from the kitchen. Cloud must've forgotten his keys again. "Coming!" Marlene's small voice replied as she ran to get the door. She unlocked the door, "How many times must you forget to bring your keys? Next time I don't wanna open the door for you."

Cloud smiled at her behaviour. "Since when have you turned into an old lady?" Cloud teased Marlene and Marlene made an annoyed face. Ever since Barret left Marlene with Tifa here, there hasn't been a day of peace. There would always be her questions and complaint about Cloud.

"I'm home," Cloud said as she brushed Marlene's hair. "Welcome back. Tifa's just finished preparing dinner," Marlene hold Cloud's hand and lead him into the house. Cloud could smell the smell of Tifa's cooking and it made his stomach growled hungrily.

"I can hear your tummy," Marlene giggled as she pointed at Cloud's stomach. "Tifa better be fast. The monster in my tummy wants to eat you if there's no food," Cloud said in a serious manner. Marlene's face turned white, she didn't realize he was joking.

She quickly ran to the kitchen, surprising Tifa who was preparing the table for their dinner. "Tifa, quick! I don't wanna be eaten," Marlene took the plates and started serving the food as fast as she could. Tifa was confused by her words but she got the hint that it got something to do with Cloud.

Then, the hero decided to show his 'innocent' face and Marlene gasped. Tifa placed her hands on her hips and questioned Cloud, "What did you say to her?"

"I've made her help you right?" Cloud replied and Tifa just smiled in return. Everyday just felt so normal, it felt as if they were a whole family. "Yeah sure, let's eat."

Cloud sat on a chair around the round table next to Marlene. "It sure smells good," Cloud said as Tifa adjusted Marlene to sit properly. "Ready?" Cloud turned to Marlene who just nodded. "Let's eat," the three of them said in unison and they began eating.

XXX

"How'd the recording go?" Tifa asked Cloud once they had finished dinner. Marlene was clearing the table while Cloud helped her carried the dishes to the sink. "Quite well, it's not hard once you get the feeling," Cloud said as he placed the dirty plates into the sink and on the tap.

Tifa just nodded, it was good that Cloud now had a steady life. On the contrary, she just depended on him. Now that Marlene is under her care, he would have to support the two of them.

"Are you okay like this?" She questioned slowly just loud enough for him to hear without Marlene noticing. Cloud turned his head slightly in confusion. Only when he saw Tifa's face, he realized what she meant.

"It really depends on you," Cloud's answer made Tifa wondered. "I got someone to cook for me and look after my home when I'm gone. And some entertainment after a tiring day at work. I wonder what else I can ask for." Cloud looked at Marlene who was wiping the table as clean as she could.

Tifa thought to herself while her hands were washing the dishes. Cloud just glanced at her before nearing to Marlene. "Right Marlene?" Cloud asked the little girl. Marlene just looked perplexed but she nodded, "Right!"

"What are you gonna do after this?" Cloud asked Marlene while hauling her up. He decided to change the subject. He didn't like the fact that Tifa felt that way. She felt as if she was a burden to him. He was only helping her.

"Tonight there's a scary movie. I wanna watch it," Marlene replied as she hoped Cloud volunteered to watch it with her. "Scary movie? You sure you won't be afraid to sleep alone after watching it?" Cloud looked at the girl.

"You can watch it with me right Cloud?" She asked so innocently. Then, she turned to Tifa to ask for support but she didn't see her. "Let's see. I'm a little tired," Cloud pretended to sound sleepy.

"Please, I'll do anything!" Marlene was closed to begging. "Tifa, please help me," Marlene leaned over to catch Tifa's attention. Tifa who had just finished washing the dishes turned.

Tifa noticed that Cloud was joking with her. Poor Marlene. "I dunno. You're gonna be afraid for days," Tifa decided to join Cloud. "Look, your Mum doesn't let you watch it. You should get ready for bed," Cloud announced.

"No, I don't want to. Please _DAD_" Marlene was almost pouting at the blonde man. Cloud couldn't stand her looking like that chose to cut his torture short. "Alright, I'll make an excuse just for you, little princess," he said as he walked into the living room.

Tifa just smiled at their actions. If anyone just watched them, they would seem like a young father and his daughter. This is a family. This is her family and she wanted to protect it no matter what.

After a while, she heard Cloud calling, "What are still doing in there, the movie is about to start. Be quick Mom."

Tifa realized she liked the new name she got. Maybe, she could get used to it. "Coming," she answered and turned off the kitchen's lights.

XXX

Tifa went out the next day after Barret came to take Marlene out for the day. Tifa wanted to find a job so that she won't be a free-loader. She saw the advertisements that were pasted on the walls. Most of them were requiring an experienced worker and she apparently were not.

She moved to the next part of the wall, and started looking for any job that suited her. She scanned each advertisement carefully so that she won't miss anything. "This is for office... and this one for another experienced worker," she read to herself.

Then, she saw a piece of paper that seemed to suit her. "A waitress," she smiled to herself and took off the paper from the walls and a few others that she thought she might have the chance of getting the job.

"Now, to find the place," she said to herself and starting walking towards a direction that leads to the subway. Inside, she knew it was going to be a long day.

XXX

Tifa went home that day feeling very disappointed. Out of 3 job interview that she went, none of them accepted her. Simply because she didn't have any qualification and experience in the work field. She went home to find that Marlene hadn't return and the house was empty as she left it. It was expected.

She blew out her breath and decided to take a long bath to relax herself. She looked at the clock and saw that she had a few hours to herself before Cloud came home. She opened the tap and waited for the water to fill the tub. After undressing herself, she lied in the tub and thought deeply.

'How long must I depend on him? He said he didn't mind but I mind. I can't be a freeloader forever.' Tifa played with the water and let the dripped from her slender fingers.

"Just as I thought, I'm only good at bartending!" she said out loud and splashed the water feeling a little upset. Then, she took a deep breath and lowered her head under the water.

Water made everyone relaxed right?


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

"Tifa, are we really gonna see Cloud on that stage?" Marlene asked while pointing up to the huge stage in front of them. Her eyes were huge as she looked at the big stage. They were at the debut performance of AVALANCHE that was held by the Shinra Recording. This was their first performance as new comers.

"Yeah, they'll start any time soon," Tifa said a little louder. The crowd was getting enthusiastic. She can't blame them. Every new comer that was produced under Shinra Company mostly is very successful and well-known. Even Tifa was beyond anticipation as she watched the crowd getting loud.

Marlene who was seated next to her was looking around the place. Tifa knew she was looking for Barret. He promised to come tonight to watch them performed.

Then, the dark stage was lightened up by a spotlight. "Welcome everyone to Shinra Entertainment Weekly!" the host of the show greeted the crowd who cheered in respond. "We're your host tonight, Reeve and Shion!"

The crowd cheered once again and clapped their hands. That was when Barret arrived and he quickly took a seat next to Marlene. "Papa, I miss you!" Marlene was happy to see him. "I miss you too little one!" Barret picked Marlene up onto his laps while shuffling her hair.

Tifa just smiled at them happily. "They're not up yet huh?" Barret asked as he watched the hosts introducing the artists that will be performing that night. Tifa just shook her head. After that they just remained quiet while listening to the hosts and the crowd's cheer.

"And as promise, we have a new band that will perform their debut single. This is good news for all the ladies out there since all the band members are all young attractive and single bachelors!" Shion announced and the crowd, which consist mostly the females shouted hysterically.

Reeve just laughed and continued, "And not to waste anymore time, please welcome AVALANCHE with their debut single Jojoushi!"

The stage was dark once again and there was just silence. Suddenly,

**kisetsu wa iro wo kaete ikudo megurou to mo**

**kono kimochi wa karenai hana no you ni yurameite**

**kimi wo omou…**

_The seasons will go around many times changing colors, __This feeling will not wither like a flower, __Wavering, I feel you._

The familiar voice echoed throughout the stage. Tifa shivered as she never had listened to such clear and deep meaning words. The stage was light up as a spotlight focus on Cloud who was standing in the middle of the stage. Gradually, each face of AVALANCHE could be seen.

**kanadeau kotoba wa kokochiyoi senritsu**

**kimi ga soba ni iru dake de ii**

**hohoenda hitomi wo nakusanai tame nara**

**tatoe hoshi no matataki ga mienai yoru mo**

_Playing the meaning, a pleasant melody, __You only need to be by my side __in order to not lose smiling eyes __even the nights where the twinkling stars can't be seen._

**furisosogu komorebi no you ni kimi wo tsutsumu**

**sore wa boku no tsuyoku kawaranu chikai**

**yume nara yume no mama de kamawanai**

**ai suru kagayaki ni afure asu e mukau yorokobi wa**

**shinjitsu dakara**

_Like the sunbeam streaming down, I will wrap you, __That is my strong, unchanging promise. __If it's a dream, it doesn't matter while it's a dream, __I'll love you. __Overflowing with radiance and turning to tomorrow, __because my joy is the truth. _

** The love to you is alive in me. wo- every day for love.**

**You are aside of me wo- every day.**

The one thing that Tifa realized was Cloud never looked directly at anyone or the camera. He just seemed lost in his own world. The look Vincent had on his face was one Tifa had never seen before. He seemed to have feelings.

**nokosarete kanashii kioku sae sotto**

**kimi wa yawaragete kureru yo**

**hashagu you ni natsuita yawarakana kaze ni fukarete**

**nabiku azayaka na kimi ga boku wo ubau**

_I locked away the sad memories, softly, i will relieve you, oh __You were stuck happily, blowing in the soft wind. __Long, vivid days will take me. _

Zack smiled to the crowd with a naughty grin while Cid just looked a little tense though he played the drum looking very relaxed.

**kisetsu wa iro wo kaete ikudo megurou to mo**

**kono kimochi wa karenai hana no you ni**

**yume nara yume no mama de **

**kamawanai ai suru **

**kagayaki ni afure mune wo someru**

**itsumademo **

**kimi wo omoi**

_The seasons will go around many times changing colors, __This feeling will not wither like a flower. __If it's a dream, it doesn't matter while it's a dream, __I'll love you. __Overflowing with radiance it colors my heart, __Always, I'll think of you. _

** The love to you is alive in me. wo- every day for love.**

**You are aside of me wo- every day…**

After Cloud sang the last part, the crowd started cheering once again and only screams could be heard, giving the band support. Zack raised his hands in a childlike manner and started waving to the crowd while Cloud just nodded his head a little.

And that was the night that changed everyone's life.

"Hey did you see that?" the girl asked her manager. "What? That AVALANCHE band?" the manager asked her back. "Come on, you're not talking about him again right?" The manager crossed her arms, looking worried all of sudden. She noticed that _he_ was in the band, the one that causes Aerith so much misery.

"No, look at the vocalist," the girl said again while her green eyes never leave the TV screen. "He's full of light," the girl whispered as if she was mesmerized by the blonde. The manager sighs as she turned her eyes to the screen. She agreed that the blonde was quite good looking but this girl has other commitment and she can't distract herself getting involved with men.

"Come on, you have a photo shoot in an hour. We better head there fast, we can't let them wait," the manager said as she took the remote control and turned off the TV. The girl was about to protest but as she saw the look the manager gave her, she gave in.

"Fine, I'll get ready," she said lazily as she rose from her sofa and entered her room to change clothes. "Being a super model sure makes you super tired," she murmured but her manager heard her. She just smiled a little.

"I give you 10 minutes Aerith!" the manager called from the living room. "Fine!" she heard Aerith replied. The manager sat on the sofa and turned the TV on once again.

The channel showed the face of the AVALANCHE members after finish performing their debut single. She studied the face that piques Aerith's curiosity. "He does look a little like him," she talked to herself.

"Cloud huh?" she read the name on the screen. The hosts were interviewing the AVALANCHE members but the person named Cloud rarely speaks. The one who's actively answering the question was Zack, the leader of the band and Aerith's former love. What a small world.

The manager watched as the guy named Cloud responded as the host asked him questions. She didn't pay any attention to the question but more to the respondent. 'You better not get yourself into trouble Aerith. We've been through hell when that boy left you,' she thought to herself and sighed.

XXX

Aerith was feeling happier than she had always been. That fact was noticed by everyone who passed her or just saw her from afar. It was like she was beaming in lights.

She entered a record store and search on the CD rack for a particular band but her smile turned to a frown when she couldn't find any. She went to the counter.

"Do you have AVALANCHE's album? I can't find any on the rack," Aerith said to the man behind the counter.

The man looked at her and answered, "They haven't released any album yet. Usually for a new debuted artist, they will release a few singles and looked at the respond of the listeners first. If the respond is positive then they might release an album."

"Really? Heh," Aerith blew out her breath in disappointment. She wanted to get the album since she first heard their song Jojoushi. Particularly, she wanted to know a little more about that certain someone.

"If it's not rude to ask, are you Aerith?" the man enquired as he looked at her more carefully. Aerith turned with a smile on her face and walked away, "I'm not sure myself," with a wink and left the store before she gathered more people.

A/N – the song that I used in this chapter is by L'arcenCiel entitled Jojoushi. I really think the song is one of Laruku's best singles. Try listening to it to get the feeling...


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

"Come on, we have another interview today!" Yuffie was practically screaming her head off. AVALANCHE was invited to another interview. They were getting more and more promotions. Most of them are interviews and photo shoot.

"You don't have to scream. We're still not deaf you know," Cid said irritated as he blew another puff of his cigarette smoke.

"Then, get moving!" Yuffie said enthusiastically as she led the way to the car park. Yuffie just smiled as she thought of the surprise the show had in store for them. Especially the ever stoic Cloud.

XXX

That night when Cloud returned, Tifa was almost going to bed. "Marlene asleep, don't make too much noise," Tifa said without turning her head towards the door.

"Yeah sure," Cloud replied as he sounded tired. Tifa turned to him at the tone of his voice. "You wanna something to eat?" Tifa asked him.

Cloud just shook his head as he placed something that looked like a book on the table. "What's this?" Tifa asked as she took the book. "Aerith Gainsborough?" Tifa gasped in disbelief. "No way!" she said in disbelief.

"What?" Cloud asked as he sat on the couch, leaning his head against it in relief, 'It's good to be home.' Tifa quickly went next to him still not letting the book go. "It's_ that_ Aerith? The supermodel?" Tifa asked him again.

Tifa searched his face just in case he wanted to play a prank on her. There's no way Cloud could get the limited edition of Aerith's personal photos. All of the photos included in it had never been published anywhere before.

"So?" Cloud asked, not interested. Tifa looked at him sharply, "So? This is a limited edition version! And it's autographed! Where'd you get it?" Tifa asked him again. Cloud just sighed. "We had an interview just now and she was invited too on the show," Cloud just explained shortly.

"When's the interview will be on air? I wanna watch it!" Tifa exclaimed in a girly manner. "I'm not sure. I think this Friday night on Shinra's Entertainment," Cloud replied again. Why is she acting like this?

"I'm gonna set a reminder!" Tifa said as she took out her cell phone and punched a few buttons before closing back her phone. She was smiling to herself and Cloud thought it was weird.

"I didn't know you were so interested in her," Cloud commented and it made Tifa beamed in excitement. "You don't know what she has gone through. She was devastated heartbroken once during her uprising years. It was the biggest obstacle for her. But, she managed to pull herself together and now you see her as she is," Tifa recalled her reason for being Aerith's admirer.

"It's sounded so ordinary," Cloud said and it made Tifa frown at him. "She is my kind and we are very warm and fragile. And she was left heartbroken by your cold-hearted kind. Not every female can survive that without strong will. I told you, I looked up to her," Tifa crossed her hands cockily and it made Cloud smirked.

"I know you don't like such a thing, so can I have it? Please?" Tifa sounded so nice out of the blue. Cloud thought for a moment. Well, he didn't really need that thing anyway. He might lose it later. He just nodded and Tifa found herself grinning hugely. Cloud just shook his head in dismissal. "Thanks Cloud. You're the best!"

Tifa get up to go back to her room and she swore that she was actually jumping in joy. She kissed the book in her hand and clutched it against her chest tightly.

"Now I know why you never get involved with a guy throughout your life," Cloud said and it made Tifa head snapped, giving him the death glare. 'How dare he?' Cloud held back a small smile. "Well, if your cold-hearted kind can be a little nicer maybe someday I would," Tifa replied in annoyance.

Tifa bit her lower lip in an angry manner and she turned her head cockily. Cloud saw a chance to tease her again. "How about give me a shot?" Cloud asked abruptly and it made Tifa almost dropped the book she was holding.

Tifa didn't turned but she just said casually, "Not in a million years Cloud." And she heard the evil laugh coming from him. "I'm sure you haven't kissed anyone since the race back in Nibelheim," Cloud added more fire to the already irritated female.

Tifa felt her face suddenly felt so hot and embarrassed. "Well, I bet you haven't done it either!" she said before she quickly entered her room, feeling a sudden wave of relief once she closed the door.

Cloud smiled at her reaction and leaned back on the couch. 'Maybe I'm still saving it for you.'

XXX

Tifa was already in front of the TV, watching the show as they started off with AVALANCHE performing. She didn't know that Aerith was invited to the Shinra Entertainment show. Shinra only specialized in producing male artists and they rarely almost never invited any females to their show.

Reeve, the host was interviewing Cloud right then. "So Cloud, I notice you didn't speak a lot during your shows," he said. Cloud just raised his face and looked at him while giving a small smile. "I didn't have a lot to say," Cloud replied.

Then, Reeve turned to the camera and said, "As you can see everyone, Cloud is a shy person." The crowd laughed and Cloud just looked away. Tifa saw Zack was poking his ribs to get him to laugh but it didn't work.

"And to make thing interesting, one beautiful young super model was quoted to say that Cloud is her dream guy in an interview. Is there anyone out there who think Cloud qualify to be certified as girl magnet?" Reeve turned to the crowd. He is sure know how to make things heat up.

The crowd responded with a cheer. "Woah, you're even popular than me. And you're only a few months in the industry," Reeve joked once again and Cloud looked at him apologetically. "3 months already," Cloud corrected him as Cloud turned a little to Vincent for confirmation. Vincent nodded.

Tifa laughed at this.

"3 months and a model had already had her eyes on you. You're one lucky guy," Reeve commented. "As for today, we have a special surprise for Cloud," Reeve said as he adjusted his seat and looked at the blonde.

Cloud looked at him in confusion. "We have a special VTR for you," Reeve announced. "Bring in the VTR!" Reeve said and from the back door, there was a figure entering the place.

The crowd shouted in happiness as they saw the figure became clearer. Cloud decided to turn to the source of the hysterical screams and saw it was a lady rather than a VTR. "Give a big hand for Aerith Gainsborough!"

"Good evening everyone!" Aerith greeted as she arrived and Reeve gave her a seat next to Cloud. Cloud looked perplexed. He saw Yuffie smiling from the back stage. She knew about this.

"Okay, this is the surprise guest for tonight! The super model, Aerith! And the title for tonight in-prompt show is 'Love, Love Attack!' Let's go everyone," Reeve gave a signal to the rest of AVALANCHE member to leave them alone on stage.

Cloud realized that everything was planned and almost everyone knew about it except him. "Hello, nice to meet you," Aerith interrupted his thought. "Nice to meet you too," Cloud nodded his head in greeting.

"Suddenly I lost words," Aerith said looking shy and smiling. "I saw you on the show the other day. You were great," Aerith started the conversation.

Tifa looked at Cloud's reaction and found herself laughing. He's too pre-occupied with his thoughts.

"Thanks, I was a little nervous that time," Cloud replied. After that, there was an awkward silence and Cloud wasn't sure what to say. Then, he heard Zack's voice whispering from the back, "Ask for her number!"

"Heh?!" Cloud's head turned to Zack's direction spontaneously. "Her number!" Zack repeated. Aerith was already laughing at the situation. "Telephone number?" Cloud repeated and Zack nodded.

"Oh gosh! This is so funny!" Tifa laughed again. Cloud is too spaced out to realize that Zack was giving him a hint to make a move on Aerith.

"I have something for you," Aerith's soft voice break the awkward moment and everyone was quiet for a while. She took out her limited edition photograph book and handed it over to Cloud.

"Oh, thanks a lot," Cloud took it and studied it. "Limited edition, it even has your signature on it," Cloud said and Aerith nodded with a smile.

"But, I don't have anything to give you in return," Cloud looked around to give her something. That was when Vincent came on stage and gave Cloud their performance ticket that will be held in a week's time.

"Here's something for you," Cloud gave Aerith the ticket. "Wow, a ticket to your performance. And it's the front row," she exclaimed in a low voice. "Thank you so much," Aerith said with a bright smile.

The crowed clapped their hands while some whistling sound could be heard. Cloud just nodded in return and looked at his group members as if waiting to be saved from the awkwardness.

Then, he met Aerith's gaze and they just nodded with a smile. 'What else to say?' Cloud wondered. If it was Zack in his situation, thing would've went smooth.

"Help me," Cloud mouthed to his band mates. Zack gave him the hint to ask for her number but Cloud ignored him. This is just a temporary meeting anyway.

Reeve decided it was time to go back on stage and he came running to them. "Cloud _is_ a shy person. Are you sure he's your dream guy Aerith?" Reeve teased the girl who turned pink immediately. She didn't reply but she just smiled in return.

The band member of AVALANCHE took their respective seat and Cloud could hear Cid whispering, "I didn't know you were that horrible with women." Cloud just ignored the statement and continued with the show.

XXX

Once the show was over, Tifa found herself laughing like she hadn't for years. It was nothing she had ever seen on TV. And Cid for once was talking instead of swearing and Zack was the sweet talker. He went on talking about everything came across his mind and some part of it was random.

"That was interesting. I better check on Marlene," Tifa said as she went into the room Marlene was sleeping in. Tifa opened the door as silent as she could and she poked her head into the room. Marlene was sound asleep and Tifa could hear the serene rhythm of her breath.

Tifa let out a small smile and closed the door. She entered her own room and saw the photograph book of Aerith. She hasn't go through it thoroughly and she figured this might be a good chance. She flipped open the pink cover and saw the first picture of Aerith.

"She's pretty," Tifa didn't realize she was talking to herself as she went through the whole photo book. "Whoever dumped her must be a weird guy."

Tifa flipped the last page and noticed something written there. It was hand written.

_I'd like to know you more. Maybe we can get together sometimes._

_-Aerith-_

"Heh?!" Tifa gasped in shocked. "Aerith is interested in Cloud?" Tifa couldn't believe her eyes and she read the note again. She wasn't mistaken.

"Oh, I can't believe this. Someone actually making a move on Cloud," Tifa found herself talking to no one. "I can't wait to see what will happen if I tell Cloud about this."

Tifa quickly flipped open her cell phone and dialled Cloud's number. She waited for a few moments but she could only reached his mailbox. "As always," Tifa said in irritation and thought maybe she could tell him some other time.

"Marlene, are you ready yet? They're gonna be here any minute," Tifa called as she checked the table setting. 'Perfect!'

"Almost! Help me with my hair!" Marlene came out from her room with a pink ribbon in her hand as she motioned Tifa to help her tied her hair. Tifa just took the ribbon and in swift motion, Marlene's hair was in a neat braid. "Thanks Tifa."

Tonight was weekend and Tifa suggested that they should have a gathering for all of their friends. It had been a while since they hung out. And Tifa asked Cloud to invite Vincent, Cid, Zack and Yuffie along. Even Barret is coming as he managed to get some time-out from his work.

Cloud refused but Marlene, being the big boss of the house managed to change Cloud's decision. "Do I look okay?" Marlene asked Tifa as she adjusted her dress. "You look fine Marlene," Tifa commented before retreating to the kitchen to take a jug of juice.

"Tifa, are you just going to wear that? Don't you wanna change?" Marlene asked the brunette. "Are you saying I look weird in my normal clothing?" Tifa asked her back.

"No! That's not what I mean! Yuffie already said that she's going to bring a special guest tonight," Marlene quickly replied, afraid that she might make Tifa mad.

"You can do me the honour of escorting the special guest right?" Tifa winked to the smaller figure. Marlene nodded in enthusiasm. "You can count on me!"

Suddenly, the front door bell rang. "They're here," Tifa said as she went to the door, followed by Marlene.

Tifa opened the door and saw Cloud's face greeted her. "Welcome home," she greeted with a smile as she opened the door wider to see faces of all of their friends. "I'm back," Cloud's voice was just a small sound compared to the sound of Yuffie's voice, "Ah! It feels so good after all of the tiring work this whole week!"

Vincent entered the house without much fuss and followed by Cid. "Ah Cid!" Tifa called him as she pointed to the cigarette on his lips. Cid just smirked before he tossed the bud into a bin just outside the house. "As expected of the mother of the house."

"What's this place?" a female voice suddenly interrupted the noisy environment. Tifa looked over Zack's shoulders to see the owner of the voice was none other than Aerith. "This is where Cloud kept his women," Zack replied that made Aerith's eyes widen.

"Mind your manners Zack or you'll get kicked out of the house," Yuffie warned the dark-haired bassist who just gave out a naughty smile in return.

As Tifa looked at Aerith who looked at her in return, it was as if the world stopped moving. There was something unusual in the air and if not because Marlene tugged her shirt, Tifa might not move at all.

"Sorry, I was being rude. I'm Tifa. Please come in," Tifa quickly said as she made some way for Aerith to enter. Aerith just gave the 'model' smile and nodded. "I'm Aerith."

"Barret's not here yet?" Cloud asked as Tifa closed the door behind her. "He'll be late. We'll start first," Tifa replied. "Go and tend the special guest already," Tifa signalled to Marlene.

Marlene gave her a bright smile before running to the living room, which was already packed with the adults. As Tifa saw Marlene talking to Aerith who just smiled in return, Tifa felt that it was safe to leave them like that.

"I'll go get some wine first. Dinner's ready," Tifa said to Cloud. Cloud nodded, "Do you need help with that?" Tifa shook her head. "You have a special guest to attend to right?" Tifa gave him a fishy smile and left him before he could respond.

Cloud scratched his head a little before joining Vincent who was sitting on the couch, watching the TV as Yuffie kept on changing the channels. 'How'd he get used to that?'

"Yuffie, stop flipping the channels. I'm getting headaches," Zack said as he went through the movie collection and pulled out a horror DVD. "Put this on," he threw the DVD to Yuffie who caught it just as it was about to hit her head.

"Is Marlene okay with that?" Vincent asked and turned to the little girl. Marlene looked up to Cloud. "Ask your mother," he simply said. He usually gave okay for an answer but Tifa didn't like the idea of giving Marlene a scare before letting her go to bed.

Marlene went to the kitchen for a few moments, leaving behind a very confused Aerith. "Mother? Tifa's a mother?" Aerith couldn't believe her ears.

"That's how Tifa introduced Marlene to everyone. Though they're not biologically connected," Cid said. "And he's the father of the house though he doesn't seem like it," Zack added as he pointed to Cloud.

"But don't mention it in front of little Marlene though, she doesn't like it. And aside from Tifa, she's the last person you want to see getting mad," Yuffie interrupted and she was supported by Zack.

"I don't wanna sleep with you tonight then," Tifa's voice was heard mocking Marlene as she entered the living room with a tray of wine. She began passing it around. "Fine then. Papa will come home tonight anyway. You're the one who will be sleeping alone tonight," Marlene gave out her mischievous smile to Tifa.

Tifa made a face and Cloud just smiled slightly. It was so good to be home in his little apartment compared to the luxurious apartment where the AVALANCHE lived.

The door bell rang again. "Barret's here. I'll get it!" Zack said as he went to open the door. Barret's rough voice echoed through the corridor. "Where's my little princess?"

"Papa!" Marlene rushed to door and jumped up to Barret who just simply caught her and carried her inside. "Now everyone's here, let's eat dinner," Tifa announced and everyone took their seats around the table.

XXX

It was almost midnight when everyone had settled down and they were talking in low voices. Tifa caught a glance of Aerith talking to Zack in the balcony. Their faces looked serious for a moment but after a while, their expression softened.

"What are they talking about?" Yuffie's voice came from her back. Tifa just shook her head. "I'm not sure either." It looked like they've known each other before this. The girls quickly retreated when they saw Aerith and Zack turned to enter the house.

"I feel so much better," Aerith said as they entered the house. "Don't worry. It's all in the past. We must move on right?" Zack assured her with his trademark smile. Aerith nodded, "Thanks a lot."

Tifa made her way to the kitchen, unable to stop wondering about the two. But she knew it would be so much better to drop the subject. It's not her business anyway.

"I have to go now everyone. My manager's already waiting downstairs," Aerith said as she reached the living room as she took her purse. "Oh, so soon?" Yuffie asked though she was yawning a few times already.

"I got a photo shoot tomorrow. I really have to go. It was fun to meet everyone," Aerith said as she looked at Marlene and Tifa. "It was fun having you here too. We'll meet again right?" Tifa asked as she followed Aerith to the door. "Of course, we didn't get a chance to talk a lot tonight," Aerith replied.

Tifa signalled at Cloud to come to her when Aerith wasn't looking. "Hurry up!" she mouthed. Cloud got up from his seat and followed the girls.

"I really envy you and your family. I wish I have one like it," Aerith said in a low voice but Tifa managed to hear her. "It's just a matter of cherishing everyone around you. Since I lost mine a long way back," Tifa said and there was a hint of sadness in her voice.

Once at the door, Tifa made way for Cloud. "Walk her to the car will you. It's dangerous down there especially for a super model to wonder around," Tifa said and before Cloud could say anything, Tifa slipped herself into the house and waved at Aerith.

When she saw them disappear at the stairs, she made her way to the window which she could see the manager's car. Yuffie followed her with Zack forcing himself between the girls. Marlene just looked at the three of them with tired eyes and yawned.

"Come on, I need some sleep too," Barret said as he carried Marlene with him into Marlene's room.

"What do you think he'll do?" Yuffie asked to no one in particular. "I don't know. He's unpredictable," Tifa replied. "You said so. It might be her who will make the first move," Zack added and they waited in silence.

When the two figures could be seen, they stopped half way a little further from the car. Cloud looked uncomfortable for a while but he nodded his head. Tifa could see Aerith smiled and as she was about to come closer to Cloud, she tripped and fell on him.

Somehow, Cloud managed to catch her without losing his balance and he pulled his head back a little as their faces were too close. He looked away, with a disturbed look on his face before adjusting himself to stand properly.

Aerith had a disappointed look on her face as she apologized repeatedly. Cloud just shook his head in dismissal. "Oh, she missed it!" Zack snapped his fingers. "Heh? She's trying to do what?" Yuffie asked. "Attempted kiss," Zack replied with a small smile on his face.

"Really? Oh," Yuffie whined and grunted. 'Damn blondie,' she thought. He was too blunt to see that one coming. Yuffie suddenly remembered about the setup interview where Aerith was invited as the guest.

_As soon as the __camera stopped recording, Cloud looked at Yuffie and then to the director of the show. "Do you mind next time not to do this again?" Cloud's voice attracted some attention. While the crowd was busy being conducted out of the set, Cloud made his way to the director. _

_"He's really shy, it's just a show," the director said. "It doesn't matter. I just don't want AVALANCHE to be known by using this kind of method. We want to make music and we want people to know us because of __the music we made. Not by using our personal issues to gain attention. Especially if it involves other people like Aerith. It's cheap," Cloud replied and it made those who listened to him felt ashamed._

_"Come on man. It's not that bad!" the director rose from his seat and went to Cloud. "Right guys?" he turned to the rest of AVALANCHE and Yuffie as their manager. Yuffie wasn't sure what to say. "I'm sorry but we don't like to sell our __personal info and we have people that we want to protect," Cloud said in a determined voice. Zack agreed with him silently._

_"We will accept the show if you want us to perform or do an interview about our music but not like this. I'm really sorry," Vincent added._

_"Fine then.__ This will be the first and last," the director said.__ "But this one will definitely go on air. I've made a deal already," the director said. Cloud just nodded, "I understand."_

It made Yuffie really opened her eyes towards the guy she managed. He really wanted to be known for their music not for some cheap popularity. Even when he was asked about his birthplace or any personal background information, he refused to speak.

Yuffie was about to turn when she caught a glimpse of Tifa's face.

"Attempted kiss?" her voice was low and she had a really weird look on her face. 'Oh my.'

* * *

A/N – the interview that the AVALANCHE had where Aerith was invited was adaptation from the interview Laruku had in Utaban. That's when Hyde met Megumi. I just think it's sweet so I put it here. 


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Ever since they have made their debut, the members of AVALANCHE had been very busy, and sometimes Cloud didn't come back to his apartment for days. And the one who really felt it was Marlene since she always asked Tifa, "Is Cloud going to come home?"

Tifa always reply the same answer, "He's gonna be a little late." And after that she would changed the subject. Sometimes when Cloud returned, Marlene must've already slept. That was why Marlene rarely sees him these days.

Only on that night when Marlene answered the phone, she beamed and ran to find Tifa. "Cloud called and said he'll be home early today," Marlene smiled as she found Tifa in the kitchen.

"Really? Then what should we be doing?" Tifa was smiling herself. Marlene looked around the kitchen and found that the table had not been set up yet. "I'll get the table ready. We'll eat dinner together!"

Tifa laughed a little before she continued her work. Maybe, she would cook something better tonight.

X X X

And to Tifa and Marlene's disappointment, Cloud didn't come back for dinner. Tifa tried to call his phone but she just the voice mail. Tifa sighed as she watched Marlene waited in the living room still watching the TV.

She was about to ask Marlene to eat the dinner when the door sounded as if it was opened from outside. "It's about time," Tifa said under her breath as she made her way to the front. Marlene had already greeted the awaited person.

"Cloud, are you alright?" Tifa heard Marlene asked as she saw the two of them standing at the door. Cloud didn't reply but he had a very different expression on his face. It was as if he was in shock and Tifa noticed there was some bruise on his arms and face.

He made his way into the house and a few steps ahead of Marlene; Cloud suddenly fell down and didn't move. Tifa's first thought was he was joking or he tripped on something but when the blonde didn't move a muscle, worried started to form.

"Hey Cloud?" she called as she made her way to him. Marlene looked a little panic as she rushed to Cloud and tried to shake him. "Cloud? Cloud?" her little voice couldn't hide the worries she felt.

"Tifa!" Marlene shouted although Tifa was near her. Tifa looked at Marlene who lifted her hands and Tifa couldn't believe her eyes. Blood and it was coming from Cloud.

Tifa's intuitive movement was to avoid Marlene from seeing him lying in a pool of blood and Tifa quickly pulled the crying little girl away from him. "You go wash your hand and get the phone," Tifa instructed which Marlene followed diligently.

Tifa lifted Cloud's head and pressed the back of his hand with her hand. His head was bleeding profusely and it scared her a little. She checked his breath and pulse. Although it wasn't normal but there are traces of life in him.

Marlene came back with the phone and Tifa heard she was talking to the emergency line. "He's bleeding in his head," Marlene said. Tifa motioned her to place the phone to her ear and Marlene followed while controlling her shaking hands.

"We need an ambulance. He's losing too much blood," Tifa said without greeting. "What's your address miss?" the operator asked. Tifa gave her the address and hung up the phone.

"Marlene, I need your help now," Tifa looked at the frightened little girl. Marlene nodded with tears in her eyes. "Go and get the house key. Then, help me call for Reno next door," Tifa said and Marlene quickly dashed to get the house keys.

"You call for me?" as if on cue, Reno poked his head through the door. It never crossed Tifa's mind there'd be a day where she would be glad to see him. "Cloud's bleeding," Tifa replied and Reno looked at Cloud lying motionless.

"What the hell..." he stopped his curse just in time as Marlene came back with the house keys.

Then, without wasting anytime Reno helped to bring Cloud down from his apartment and when they reached downstairs, Tifa could hear the siren of the ambulance.

The paramedics quickly took over and carried Cloud into the ambulance. "Let us come along," Tifa requested with Marlene on her side. "And you're..." the woman paramedic asked.

"We're his family," Tifa answer confidently and the woman quickly gave them way to enter the ambulance.

Silently, Tifa prayed for Cloud's safety. He still had his future waiting for him. He can't die, she won't let him. A tear fell down her cheek but she quickly wiped it away.

X X X

"Tifa, Cloud's gonna be alright right?" Marlene soft voice interrupted her thoughts. Tifa just looked at her while brushing her hair. She wanted to say she wasn't sure but instead she said, "Yeah, he's strong."

They were waiting outside the operation theatre for the past hour and she had informed Barret and Yuffie about Cloud. They said they were coming to the hospital. Marlene just held her hand tightly too afraid to let go.

"That's them!" Yuffie's voice could be heard from the other end of the corridor and it made Tifa turned to her. She saw Yuffie running towards her with Barret. Following them was Vincent, Zack and Cid.

"He hasn't come out yet?" Zack was the first one to ask as they arrived. Tifa shook her head with a sigh. Everyone took the empty seats without saying anything. Barret took Marlene into his arms and carried her.

Tifa was glad at least Barret knew how to make Marlene not to be phobia about seeing Cloud like that. Marlene always looked up at him as a hero. Tifa saw Barret was having a father-daughter talk with her before Marlene hugged Barret tightly.

Yuffie switch to sit next to her and asked, "What happened?" Tifa was confused herself. "He called to say he'll be home for dinner and we waited for him. He's late but when he came back, he just silent. And out of the blue, he suddenly passed out right at the door," Tifa answered and leaned her head against the wall behind her.

"So the wreckage that I saw in front of his apartment was his bike," Vincent stated and it made a few heads turned to see him. "On my way here, I passed a dark lane beside the apartment lot and I thought I saw a bike all messed up. But I wasn't sure so I just ignored it," he explained.

"What exactly happened?" Zack's whispered to himself but Tifa caught his words.

That was when Tifa's cell phone rang. She took it out and her face twitched in wonder. "Cloud?" she read the caller name on her cell phone screen. She quickly answered it.

"Cloud?" She asked as soon as the phone reached her ear. There was silence. "Hello?" she asked again. This time, she heard a breath on the other end. "Who is this?" Tifa demanded.

"I...I called home but no one answered..." it was a voice of a young boy. "And your number was second on the last dialled number list," he added.

"Who is this? Where are you?" Tifa was curious who might be holding Cloud's cell phone. Everyone was listening to their conversation.

"I'm at the end of the corridor," the voice sounded uncertain and...afraid. Tifa turned her head towards the entrance and saw a young boy, barely 7 years old was talking to a phone but his eyes were looking at her directly.

Tifa made her way towards him and as she came closer, she could see that the boy _is _afraid. His clothing was torn and his face was bruised a little. Some blood was dripping from his forehead but other than that, he seemed normal.

Tifa stopped right in front of him and looked at the boy carefully. "You're hurt," Tifa said in a lower voice but the boy shook his head. He held out the cell phone to her, "Tell him I'm very thankful. He'll always be my hero."

Tifa took the phone and the boy turned to leave instantly. "Wait!" she called. The boy turned his head a little. "Do you know him?" Tifa asked carefully. The boy nodded, "He saved my life. He gave me a ride on his bike but then, a car came out of nowhere and knocked his bike hard. I almost flung across the road but he caught me and covered me with himself. I think we landed on something really hard."

The boy gave Tifa an apologetic look and he stopped talking at the moment. "You're hurt. Let's get you fixed up first," Tifa said as she held the boy's shoulder and led him to the counter.

"What's your name?" Tifa asked as she was about to fill a registration form. "Denzel," the boy simply answered. "Your parents?" Tifa asked again. "I don't have any. They died a few months ago," he replied and Tifa turned a little to have a glance at the boy.

'Such independent boy,' her first thought. "I'll write my name as your guardian."

X X X

The last person to arrive at the hospital was Aerith and her manager. "I'm sorry. I had an appointment just now. I didn't hear my phone," Aerith looked worried as she noticed the heavy air. Marlene was crying softly in Barret's arms, Yuffie looked like she couldn't breathe, Vincent's face was no different, Cid who she bumped into at the door was smoking more than he usually does and Zack, he certainly had those eyes that she always remembered. He was afraid.

"How long had it been?" Aerith asked as she took a seat next to Yuffie. "1 hour already," Yuffie's voice lost her enthusiasm and it was very unlikely. That was when Tifa came out from a room with a small boy beside her. Aerith saw she was talking to him and that injured boy nodded his head shyly.

"I heard what happened," Aerith said without greeting as soon as Tifa arrived. "I'm not sure what had happened. But this boy was with him when it happened," Tifa replied as she held Denzel's shoulders. Denzel was supposed to be hospitalized for a day just to see he's really okay.

After that a nurse came to take Denzel to bring him to the ward.

"Do you think we should make a police report?" Aerith asked. Tifa looked around, trying to find some opinion.

"I don't think so," a male voice interrupted and it made everyone turned. "Rufus Shinra," Vincent said as he stood up. Behind him there were a few people following him including Reno. Now only Tifa remembered he also worked for Shinra. "And why not?" Aerith asked him.

"We don't want to get special attention from the media. Not during this moment. I want everyone in this room remain quiet about this. And I mean everyone," he said as he looked at the receptionist who just bowed and said, "I understand."

Is this man that influential? Tifa looked at the young blond man. It was hard to believe. "AVALANCHE is still under our contract and until further notice it's better for you people to worry about his safety more than anything else," Rufus added and he took a seat.

He was worried about Cloud too. He must be because currently, AVALANCHE is the main attraction for their company.

X X X

Not long after that, the emergency room light went off and the doctor came out looking a little tired. As always, everyone surrounded him eagerly.

"He's lucky because he was brought in just in time. He's stable for now but I advised all of you to go home and rest. He won't wake up until tomorrow anyway," the doctor said and everyone was relieved.

"He really scared me this time," Tifa sighed as she blew out her breath.

"Is there any side effects from the impact?" Cid asked the doctor. The doctor looked uncertain for a while. "Up till now, I don't think he will lose his memory or anything serious but I can't assure you that he will be as he was before this."

"What do you mean?" it was Rufus who was speaking. "Just wait until he wakes up tomorrow," the doctor said in dismissal.

"You heard what the doctor said. Let's get going everyone," Cid said sounding a little more like himself. Everyone started to leave the place.

"Barret, you think you can help me out with Marlene tonight? I think I'm going to stay here," Tifa said to him. "Are you kiddin'? She's my daughter. You're the one helping me out," Barret said in return and Tifa just smiled.

As they were leaving the hospital, Aerith felt the urge to ask, "They're really close huh?" Yuffie heard her and replied, "Who?"

"Cloud and Tifa, those two are really close aren't they?" Aerith asked again. "Of course, they are childhood friends. They always looked out for each other. It's part of the Nibelheim spirit. Us outsiders won't understand it," Yuffie simply explained.

Aerith smiled a little and felt envious for their close relationship. She admitted she has a very strong affection towards Cloud and she had been trying hard to get him to respond to her but so far, it was futile.

X X X

The next morning, before going to work, Aerith thought she would dropped by the hospital to check on Cloud in case he has woken up.

Aerith brought some fresh flowers for him and went to the hospital while her manager waited for her outside. Aerith entered the hospital and asked for Cloud's room number. After obtaining it, she went towards the room direction.

Outside the door, on the corridor bench, she saw a sleeping figure which she recognized immediately. She smiled to herself and stopped beside her. "Hey Tifa, wake up," she shook her softly.

Tifa felt someone touched her and she opened her eyes to see Aerith standing beside her. "Oh, what time is it?" Tifa asked as she stretched herself and looked around. "Almost 8.30 in the morning. I thought of dropping by before going to work," Aerith replied.

"I didn't realize when I fell asleep," Tifa stood up on her feet. "You should go home and have a rest. You'll have a back ache if you sleep here," Aerith said. "It's only a night anyway. I don't wanna disturb Marlene's time with Barret," Tifa said.

"Hey, you're quite close to him right?" Aerith asked and it made Tifa's senses alerted. "Depends on what you mean by close," Tifa didn't answer her directly.

"You know, the girlfriend and boyfriend close. In a sense of romantic relationship," Aerith explained as she looked around sheepishly. Tifa quickly shook her head, "No then, we're not having that kind of relationship. It's true I live in his apartment but it's only temporary. I'm looking for a place for myself anyway."

Aerith looked relief as she blew out her breath. "I'm glad then."

"I thought the reason why he never seemed interested in me was because of you. I was doubtful if I should go all out for him but now, I can be sure about what I want," Aerith explained without being asked.

Tifa just listened at her but deeply something in her felt weird. Tifa quickly shook away that feeling. "I think it's because he just want to focus on his band right now. He doesn't want to get involved in women because he might get distracted and all. You know that kind of thing," Tifa said with a smile.

Aerith turned around to face Tifa. "But honestly Tifa, I just can't seem to exclude you from being my rival," Aerith said and it made Tifa held back her breath.

"Even if there's anything, it's nothing more than a childhood memories. It's a thing in the past," Tifa defended herself. Aerith looked directly into her eyes which made Tifa uncomfortable.

Suddenly the door room was opened. A doctor and a nurse came out from it. Tifa was glad the awkward moment had ended. It apparently looked like they had just finished checking on Cloud. "Is he awake?" Aerith asked.

The doctor nodded but with his expression betrays his actions. "Come in for a moment," the nurse said as she made some way for the doctor, Tifa and Aerith to enter the room.

Lying flat on the bed, the blonde was fully awake. "I'm going to ask you some questions okay?" the doctor asked. Cloud just nodded.

"Okay first one, what is your name?" the doctor asked. "Cloud Strife," Cloud replied clearly. The doctor looked down on his notepad. "Do you know them? Who are they?" the doctor asked as he pointed to Tifa and Aerith.

Cloud shifted his eyes to them. "That's Tifa and Aerith. They're my friends," he answered. The doctor nodded. "Okay, do you remember what causes you to be here?" again the doctor questioned him.

"After calling Marlene, I met a boy on my way back home. He was lying on the roadside. I picked him up because it's not safe for him to be there. We were riding on my bike when I heard a very fast car coming from opposite us. I didn't pay much attention to it. The car skidded and I saw it coming directly at us. I held the boy and we crashed," Cloud managed to recall the incident.

Tifa looked at the doctor in confusion. He seemed normal except for his injuries. The doctor nodded. "Is the boy safe?" Cloud asked back. "Yeah, he's in the next room for surveillance," the doctor replied.

The doctor turned to the ladies, "What you might be thinking now is right. He's perfectly normal but please listen carefully," and he turned back to Cloud.

"And tell me how old are you?" it was just another simple question. "I'm turning 8 this year," his answer made Tifa's eyes widened and gasped while Aerith dropped the flower she brought along.

"Eight?" the word escaped from Aerith and the doctor quickly pulled the ladies to a corner of the room.

"That's the side effect of the accident. He thinks he's eight. That would mean his judgements are like an 8-year old boy," the doctor explained. "I don't think it's a permanent effect though."

"So, when will he start thinking like an adult then?" Tifa asked him worriedly. How can an 8-year old boy work especially in his case perform live in front of an audience without acting suspiciously?

"He will gradually, he has to develop the skills back. It might takes days, weeks or months and maybe years. There might be times where he will easily forget things especially those that are current events," the doctor explained calmly.

Seeing the two women remained quiet, he added, "This is the most critical time for him. He needs all the support he can get from people around him."

Aerith looked at Tifa who looked at her in return. They reached a silent agreement and after thanking the doctor, they went to his bedside.

"Hey Cloud," Tifa greeted with a smile on her face. "Hey," he simply replied. Aerith was still shocked just smiled sadly. "Tifa is there anything wrong with me?" he looked at her with such uncertain eyes.

Tifa shook her head with a smile, "No, you're still the Cloud I know." And the answer settled down the emotion turbulence in him.

"I brought you some flowers," Aerith finally found her voice. Cloud looked at the flowers in her arms and said, "Thanks."

X X X

"What!? I can use my Fenrir for a month!?" Cloud couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew that his bike broke from the accident but not being able to ride it was out of this world. His bike was his life.

"Yep, we've sent it to the workshop and they said it's going to take at least a month to get it back in shape," Yuffie said calmly as she restricted herself from smacking Cloud's head. The only reason she couldn't do it was because he was taller than she was.

"Then, how am I supposed to travel?" Cloud crossed his arms on his chest. Yuffie looked at him, "Get a ride with Vincent or cid or easier, walk. You won't die from walking."

Cloud made a 'you've-gotta-be-kidding-me' face and looked at her in fury. "Don't make it even worse blondie. I've already told Tifa about this and she agreed with me. Plus, you can't ride a bike by yourself without supervision," Yuffie cut him off before he could say anything.

"Why do you always like to involve Tifa in my matters? She's not my mother!" Cloud complained and it made Zack almost laughed but he didn't.

"It's simply because she's the one taking care of you little boy. You only listen to her anyway," Cid replied and it made Cloud even more annoyed. "Whatever."

"Is he being rebellious?" Yuffie leaned a little to Zack. "I think so. It's supposed to be around this age," Zack replied in a low voice.

Cloud admitted that he never liked seeing Tifa angry and it was the last thing he wanted to see even if he lived for thousands of years. Not because she had a scary face when she get mad but Cloud just thought it never suited her expression.

"It can't be helped Cloud, I'll give you a ride today," Vincent ended the conversation in a more matured way. Cloud just shrugged but he followed Vincent anyway.

A/N - thanks for all the reviews..i'm working on all the chapters as fast as i can...yoroshiku!!


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

It was hard for Vincent to have a hyperactive band member like Zack but to make trouble worst, it doubled. Cloud has turned to Zack. Right now, Yuffie was trying to calm both of them down from the news they had just received from Shinra.

"Tell him to do it himself! He wants us to perform another new and fresh song next week? And he only tells us now?" Cloud complained and Zack who stood behind him agreed. "Oh come on, we can get a free stay at the Gold Saucer hotel," Yuffie tried to convince them.

"Like that'll be any help," Zack muttered and Cloud nodded. It was disastrous when Cloud agreed with Zack. "It won't be that bad, right Vincent?" Yuffie silently begged for his assistance.

Vincent rose from his seat and made his way towards them. "If you waste more time then you'll have less time to compose the song right? Waste more time then," he said simply and walked away.

Cloud looked at him in disbelief. Was Vincent actually obeying what that Shinra guy wanted? Then it only hit him, they were under that Shinra guy contract. He grunted and he sat down as he took his guitar with him.

X X X

It was nice to see Cloud healthy as more energetic than the weeks he had been hospitalized. Ever since Denzel stayed with them, the house didn't feel so empty as always.

It was raining heavily.

Tifa was looking down from the balcony when she saw Cloud running in the rain. He seemed to be overjoyed and he was practically jumping up and down. "What does he think he's doing?"

The last time he was like that, he nearly set the house on fire. And this time, what would he do?

Tifa quickly grabbed an umbrella and rushed downstairs. "He really needs to grow up. He'll get sick if he plays in the rain like that!" Tifa talked to herself.

She made her way to him. The rough wind wasn't making it easy for her. Tifa kept on muttering something under her breath irritated.

"Cloud! What do you think you're doing in the rain!?" Tifa asked between the loud noises of the rain. She quickly covered him with the umbrella while holding it tightly. "You're going to get sick!"

"I just finished writing a song and that Shinra guy approved it on the first try!" Cloud replied enthusiastically. "That's good! But why are you celebrating like a madman on the lose?" Tifa said in sarcasm. Cloud just laughed heartily and ignored her comment.

"You're too tight Tifa! The song is called Caress of Venus!" he replied as he ran into the rain once again. "Heck!" Tifa ran after him. "He's really gonna get it!" He was singing in the rain happily and Tifa saw a few people walking by sending him glances.

"Cloud Strife! Get back here!" she called but he ignored her totally. An idea suddenly popped up. "Sorry for using you Aerith!"

"If you don't, I'm gonna tell Aerith that you once cross-dressed as a girl!" Tifa shouted and Cloud immediately stopped. He turned to her. "You don't dare," he said looking at her for seriousness.

"I can and I will if you don't get back here," Tifa warned him. He walked slowly towards her and Tifa's eyes never leave him. He might dash off again. He made an annoyed face and murmured under his breath, "You're such a spoil sport. And you made me cross dressed."

Tifa pretended like she didn't hear him and smiled in victory. "That's better," Tifa said in compliment.

As they made their way back, the wind blow hard and the umbrella Tifa was holding broke, leaving them both under the rain. "Oh man!" Tifa looked at her broken umbrella and tried to cover her head with her hands.

Cloud laughed at her but they ran for shelter. Inside her, Tifa was swearing like mad and wondered if it was just her bad day or his lucky day. She was about to reach the staircase to the apartment when she heard small meowing.

Tifa stopped and looked around. Cloud halted too when he saw Tifa stopped. "What's wrong?" he asked weirdly. She was the one acting as if the rain was like acid pouring from the sky.

Tifa spotted the small kitten soaked in the rain and quickly ran towards it. Cloud followed from behind and saw she picked up the kitten and they ran back to the apartment. Once they reached the shelter, Tifa looked at the kitten. It was shaking violently.

Its fur was messy and it didn't stop meowing. A female cat stuck its head out from beneath bundle of boxes and Tifa placed the kitten near it. It came out and picked up its baby and return back beneath the bundle once again.

Tifa turned to Cloud with a silly grin on her face. She was as wet as he was though she was the one who ordered him not to stay under the rain in the first place. They laughed at each other and made their way upstairs. She had to admit that he still look good even in the rain.

She opened the door and they were greeted with Marlene and Denzel who had an 'adult' look on their faces. Marlene was the one who spoke, "You played in the rain?"

Cloud just shrugged and Tifa just looked away. Marlene looked at Tifa and said, "You look like …" she was cut off by Tifa, "You don't wanna finish that sentence." Marlene swallowed back her words.

Tifa made a sweet smile on her face and said, "I'm going into the bathroom first." And she quickly made her way into the house.

"Ah!" Cloud realized he had to wait for her to come out then only he can shower. He turned to Denzel, "Don't be like her!" He brushed Denzel's hair and followed Tifa from behind. "Eww… I'm wet too," Denzel complained as he shook his head.

Marlene and Denzel heard a loud thud of the door and they knew that Cloud must hit his face on the door hard.

"Hey Denzel?" Marlene called. "What?" Denzel replied.

"Who are the adults? Them or us?" She continued and all she got back was just, "I'm not so sure myself."

X X X

Right now the kids were with Barret and they were on a trip to Corel Town for a few weeks. They invited Tifa to come along but Tifa thought it would be better if she stayed behind to watch over Cloud.

Tifa had just finished cleaning around the house and she looked around it. It felt so empty without Marlene or Denzel.

Tifa took the newspaper and read it. She flipped through the pages and stopped at one particular page. "Avalanche on the catwalk stage," she read the title.

"Avalanche vocalist, Cloud Strife who is rumoured to be going out with Ancient Beauty top supermodel Aerith Gainsborough was seen at a fashion show organized by the Ancient Beauty in conjunction with the new line under their company. Although he remained quiet when he was asked about their relationship but Aerith somehow hinted on their developing relationship.

The two was seen speaking to each other after the fashion show and they left the place together. Cloud who remained firm with his stand of not sharing his personal life with the public didn't comment anything about the rumour."

Tifa read the last line of the short article softly and she felt a pang of loss in her. She bit her lower lips and placed back the newspaper on the table. Last week, different news about them was published when the tabloid found them going at a shopping mall.

That time when they were asked if they're getting together, Aerith just said, "Going shopping together doesn't necessarily mean we're getting together right?

Apparently Cloud rarely spoke to her since he was busy with his performances and shows.

Tifa blew out her breath and leaned back on the sofa. "Stop acting like this already." Why was she acting this way? She pulled herself together and rose from the sofa and decided to occupy herself. "It's simply because Marlene forget to bring her toothbrush along with her!"

XXX

The next day, Tifa had a special visit from Cid and Yuffie who looked like they didn't sleep for days. "What happen to you guys?" Tifa eyed them as she let them entered the apartment.

"I'm surprised you're still breathing with that hyperactive chocobo living with you," Cid said as he sighed and sat on the couch without waiting for Tifa's invitation. Yuffie, the ever energetic person Tifa had ever seen also looked so exhausted and tired.

"Look, to make matter simple, we want you to become Cloud's chaperon," Cid said as Yuffie didn't bother to inform Tifa the main purpose of their visit. Tifa frowned, "A chaperon?"

"Yeah, they have a show at the Gold Saucer next weekend and Shinra wanted someone to 'supervise' Cloud during their stay there," Yuffie said as she had a troubled look on her face. Tifa felt more suspicious.

"What did he do this time?" Tifa asked in a mother-like voice and placed a hand on her hip.

"He went into Shinra's office when Shinra wasn't around and he made paper planes from the documents on that guy's desk. Shinra's really pissed," Cid said on Yuffie's behalf.

"And when he was busted, he said 'He was the one who made me wait for half an hour and I was boring' so casually," Yuffie imitated Cloud's voice. Tifa's face turned to a deeper frown. Now he's playing prank on other people.

"He's getting out of hand lately. Please, we need your help this time. I've run out of ideas of who can help us," Yuffie looked at Tifa with begging eyes.

"Do I have certain condition that I have to obey?" Tifa asked. She didn't want to be tricked into something she didn't like.

"You are not his fan and no romance," Cid concluded in a simple sentence. Tifa thought for a while and nodded, "Okay then. I'll do it."

XXX

"Nope. I won't wear it. It's too ugly," Cloud shrugged off the stylist idea of a jacket to be worn at their Gold Saucer performance. He continued to play with his guitar. The stylist looked like she was about to give up when Yuffie entered the room.

"Cloud, are you giving her more trouble again?" Yuffie asked Cloud. Cloud just ignored her. "The jacket is too ugly."

Yuffie blew out her breath. This was the third time she changed his stylist in two weeks and so far, she was the best stylist compared to the first two.

"I want you to meet your chaperon then. She'll be in charge of you from your personal to your performance preparations," Yuffie said clearly so that Cloud heard her.

"Hey, don't you think you're doing too much. It's getting overboard," Cloud protested. "It's not like it's going to work anyway."

"We'll see about that. Cid, bring her in," Yuffie commanded and someone opened the door.

"Cloud didn't bother to look at his new 'chaperon' he just played with his guitar in an arrogant manner. The chaperon stopped right in front of him and Cloud thought she felt familiar, too familiar.

He looked up and at the same time he was greeted, "Hello Cloud. I'm you chaperon. We'll be working together from now on. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," Tifa smiled as she placed both hands on her waist, a pose Cloud always seen back at his apartment whenever he got into trouble.

For Cloud, her smile looked like a knife on his neck as he drew back his breath. "Yo-yoroshiku," he stammered as his blue eyes were wide. Yuffie definitely went too far for him.

"Now, I heard you don't want to wear that jacket right?" Tifa pointed to the jacket his stylist was holding. "Let's see, what do you have here?" Tifa asked as she went to the wardrobe and looked for something.

Cloud sensed danger at her behavior and jumped out from his seat and grabbed the jacket from his stylist. The last time he let her decide what he should wear, he ended up cross-dressed as a girl. In a smooth movement, he put on the jacket and adjusted it, "On second thought, I think this one is alright."

'That was easy,' Tifa smiled to herself and turned. "I agree. It looks good on you," Tifa eyes him. The stylist raised her brows in amazement. "How'd she do it?"

"Now, I believe you have a few more for him to try on right?" Tifa turned to the stylist. She quickly nodded and rushed to her wardrobe.

Tifa sat on the couch nearby and smiled, "Take your time. I'm not rushing and I got the whole day just for him."

Cloud just sighed inwardly. Of all people, it had to be her.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Just as Yuffie and everyone thought, the plan worked out well. At least, Cloud wasn't running around wild and caused other people trouble. Tifa was the best chaperon for Cloud.

Yuffie was expecting for a problem during their long flight to Gold Saucer and shockingly, there wasn't any. Cloud didn't fight with Zack and he stayed in his seat obediently. Of course, he was seated next to his chaperon and she was obviously controlling him without him realizing it.

"Come on Tifa, just this once," Cloud begged her to let him get up from his seat. He told her he wanted to go to the toilet but she knew it was all his excuse. He just wanted to get up from his seat.

She would allow him if only he didn't have motion sickness. Just like Yuffie who just sit silently next to Vincent who was reading. "No can do," Tifa simply said and it irritated him.

Cloud pushed the button to call the stewardess. "What are you doing?" Tifa turned to him. "I'm going to ask her to bring me a bottle," he replied in an easy manner way. "Bottle?"

"If you're not going to let me go to the toilet, I'll just pee here," he said as the stewardess arrived at their seats. "Yes, can I help you Mr. Strife?" Tifa thought he was joking and he definitely wouldn't dare.

"Yeah, can you get me a bottle?" he asked sweetly. The stewardess was confused. "Bottle? And what kind of bottle do you need?"

"You know the one where I can p…" Tifa quickly covered his mouth with her hand and stopped his from finishing his sentence. "Can I have some tissue please? He spilled some water on himself," Tifa said and the stewardess just nodded and walked away.

Tifa felt Cloud smiled beneath her hand. "Fine, go to the toilet," she gave up as she removed her hand from his mouth. "Thank you," he said as he gave a quick kiss on Tifa's palm playfully which Tifa responded with a disgusting grunt.

Cloud unbuckled his seat belt and went to the toilet direction in a childlike manner. He won against Tifa this time. Yuffie turned slightly to her. She just made a face, "He wants to pee."

The stewardess came with some tissues and gave it to Tifa. "Thank you."

After the stewardess had gone, another one came and talked to Zack. "Excuse me Mr. Zack; Mr. Cloud is having a problem in the toilet. He called for you," she said and Zack turned to Tifa. Tifa shook her head.

Zack went to the toilet and after a while, he came out with a sick-looking Cloud with the help of a steward. "He's having motion sickness," the steward said as they placed Cloud back on his seat.

Cloud felt like his whole world was spinning and he was glad when he was on his seat back. He knew he was being punished for lying to Tifa just now.

"Do you have anything for motion sickness?" Tifa asked the steward and he nodded before he went to the back. Cloud held his stomach and he got a very uncomfortable look on his face.

"I don't feel so good," he said in a low voice and Tifa rubbed his back. "Hold on a little while. The steward is taking some medicine," Tifa said softly though she felt like laughing. She knew this was going to happen in the first place.

"I don't think I can. I'm going to puke," he said as he held his stomach tighter. Tifa quickly took out the vomiting bag from her seat and opened it just in time before Cloud threw up. He held the bag as he emptied his stomach into the bag. Zack made a disgusting face and decided to retreat to his seat after seeing that Tifa got everything under control.

Cloud gagged a few more time before he felt he got nothing left in his gut to puke out anymore. "There you go, you'll feel better," Tifa comforted him. Cloud lied back and let himself calmed down. Tifa cleaned his face with the tissue she got from the stewardess and bit back her lower lip trying to contain her laughter.

Out of the blue, she heard Vincent's voice, "Watch it Yuffie!" And there was a sound of a girl throwing up. Tifa saw Vincent shoved the bag to Yuffie just in time as Yuffie threw up too. That was when Tifa reached her limit and broke out into laughter.

She had to cover her mouth and managed to contain her laughter back into just giggles. A few people smiled at her reaction. Zack and Cid just shook their heads. The steward came and gave her the medicine for Cloud before giving some to Yuffie.

"Here you go," Tifa said to Cloud who took the medicine on his palm. He opened his eyes slightly and took the pills and washed them down with a glass of water. "Hey Tifa," he called. Tifa placed his glass on the tray and turned to him.

"Yeah?" she replied. "Do you know that you're evil?" he asked and all he got back was more laughter from the girl. "Yep. I knew it already."

Cloud just lied back once again and closed his eyes, waiting for his torture to end. It wasn't long before he fell asleep.

XXX

In the silent airplane, almost everyone was asleep. Only the crew of the flight didn't and after making sure everyone was comfortable, they went to rest for a while at the back.

One passenger who had been listening to the small commotion rose from his seat and took out something from his bag. He turned and saw the passenger behind him, both already asleep. He smiled to himself.

The brunette girl was sleeping soundly, her head turned slightly to her left with some of her hair covering her face while the blonde guy's head was rested on the girl's shoulder. Both didn't seem to realize it and he smiled to himself. He placed his camera in front of his eyes snapped a few pictures of the two.

He turned to another passenger and snapped their pictures too. "Manager isn't supposed to have relationship with the people she managed," he murmured and smiled to himself.

Working for a tabloid was hard but once he got the front page, he got paid big Gils and all of his hard works would be paid off. He returned to his seat and closed his eyes in satisfaction.

He got a hunch that there would be a lot more once they reached the Gold Saucer.

XXX

They reached the Gold Saucer in the evening and after checking in the hotel, Yuffie called everyone to brief them about the plan for tomorrow's performance.

"The sound check will be done in the morning at 9. Be punctual and Cid, don't oversleep again," Yuffie ended. "So, tonight, have a good rest and no partying! And especially a NO if anyone of you wanted to go to the entertainment park. Not until we finished the performance," she said in a serious tone and landed her eyes on Cloud.

Cloud made an innocent look and Yuffie decided to drop the matter. Her neck was aching from the long flight just now.

"Until tomorrow," she said and retreated to her room. Everyone went to their own room, feeling tired though they had some sleeps on the flight.

XXX

After taking a bath, Tifa turned on the TV and flipped through the channel. "Isn't there anything interesting on TV?"

She rested herself on the soft bed and wondered if Marlene and Denzel were doing alright. She tried to call Barret but he didn't answer. Maybe they were asleep.

Tifa flipped through the channel once again and stopped at a channel showing a movie.

Then, she heard the door bell. She looked at her watch, "It's almost 9 pm." Tifa went to the door and peeped through the peeping hole. It was covered so that she couldn't see the person who rang the bell. She immediately knew who it was.

"What do you want Cloud?" she asked without bothering to open the door. "Ah, found out already!" she heard he said. She smiled to herself.

"Come on. Let's go out and play. I can't sleep with all the noise, I can hear it from my room," Cloud said. Tifa opened the door. "You heard what Yuffie said. No I deny you request," Tifa stated firmly.

"You actually are going to listen to her? Come on, we're going to miss all the fun if we just stay in our room," Cloud didn't want to give up. Tifa still refused.

"Well then, I'm going whether you are coming with me or not. You're not much of a chaperon anyway," Cloud commented and Tifa felt infuriated. She murmured under her breath as Cloud walked away from her room.

"He's going to dash off to somewhere again and create a scene!" Tifa said as she pulled out a cap from her luggage and grabbed her room access card before following the blonde who just entered the elevator.

As the elevator was about to close, a hand stopped it just in time and Cloud saw Tifa entered it while catching her breath. "Just behave tonight," she said and Cloud grinned in a child-like manner.

Tifa stood beside him and gave him the cap. He took it but slowly. "Put it on. With hair as yours, everyone can recognize you from a mile away," she said and Cloud put it on without any question.

Then, the elevator stopped and a few more people got in. They all stopped at the floor where the amusement park was located and Tifa just followed Cloud from the back.

'I better make sure Yuffie doesn't know about this or I'll be in serious problem,' Tifa thought to herself. "I feel like eating an ice-cream, do you want some?" he asked but didn't wait for her answer. Instead, he dashed off to the ice-cream vendor.

Tifa followed him quickly and when she arrived, he handed her an ice-cream and paid the vendor. "Excuse me, are you Cloud from AVALANCHE?" the vendor asked. Cloud looked at her intently. "Do I look like him that much? I always get that everywhere I go," Cloud pretended. The girl just nodded.

"Do you want my signature?" Cloud teased the girl. "Nah, it's not like you're him," the girl passed the opportunity and Cloud walked away from her. Tifa just ate her ice-cream and shook her head before she followed Cloud.

"Hurry up Tifa! You're so slow," he called from afar at the entrance of the amusement park. Tifa looked at the park and she was stunned. She saw a figure which had caused her so much misery before.

"Don Corneo," she whispered to herself and as if the man heard her, he looked at her direction. He slowly made his way to her. 'Walk away! Walk away!' Tifa felt her heart beat faster. Not because she was excited to see him but she suddenly remembered their last encounter.

'Run Tifa, run!' But her legs didn't move and she felt herself shaking; out of anger and fear. "Well, well. I didn't expect to see you here," he said as he stopped in front of Tifa with a woman clinging on to him.

"You know her?" the woman asked as she looked at Tifa who still refused to lay an eye on them. "Sorry girl, but I just found someone else to accompany me tonight," Don Corneo pushed the woman away from him and stepped closer to Tifa.

"What?" the woman raised her brows in disbelief. Tifa felt like screaming but her voice wouldn't want to come out and her heart was racing. She drew back her breath. She knew the best way was to run away from this animal but why was she still here.

"Come on, we have a lot to catch up since the last time we met," Don Corneo said as he reached out to pull Tifa to him. "Don't touch me," Tifa's voice cracked out. She was panting in nervousness and fear.

"What? Did you say something?" Don Corneo came closer and on the perfect timing, Tifa felt she was pulled back from behind and stopped as she landed on another body.

She looked at hand around her waist and turned slightly. "Where'd you go baby?" the familiar yet weird way of talking greeted her. Don Corneo eyed the man with the cap who interrupted him.

The man stood forward. "Who are you?" Don Corneo asked. Cloud looked at the shorter man before him but still didn't remove his hand from Tifa's waist. "I'm her boyfriend apparently. Why do you care?" Cloud said before he turned to Tifa.

"Did he try to do anything to you?" Cloud looked into Tifa's eyes in concern. He knew Tifa's fear of being around this man. Tifa shook her head slowly. "No, I don't even know him," her voice was low but both men heard her.

"Good. Ah, you're ice-cream is melting," Cloud said as he licked the melted ice-cream on her hand. Tifa's face twitched at that but he just acted casually. "Come on; let's go back to our room. I don't feel like playing anymore," Cloud noticed Tifa's cold hands and shivering.

Tifa didn't reply but she followed him without protesting. Cloud pulled her closer to him and walked away feeling pissed that they had to meet that short old fart to ruin their plan. "You okay?" he asked Tifa.

"Yeah, I don't know what came over me," Tifa said, feeling a little uncomfortable with the little distance between them. It felt like everyone was watching them. "Eat up your ice-cream. It's melting," Cloud said. He dropped his ice-cream when he saw Don Corneo closing in to Tifa just now.

"No way. You just ate it. It's disgusting," Tifa refused as she made a disgusting look on her face. "Suite yourself. Let me eat it. I dropped mine just now when I saw a dog cornering a cat just now," Cloud said as he ate the ice-cream from her hand.

"You hold it yourself. I'm not holding it for you," Tifa shoved the ice-cream to him. "Yeah, hold it right there," Cloud held her hand so that he could eat more of the ice-cream. "I said hold it yourself," Tifa repeated herself.

"No, I don't want to. My hands will be sticky. Yours are already sticky," Cloud ignored her and ate up all the ice-cream while Tifa holding it. Tifa felt awkward but there was something in her that felt happy at that moment.

"That guy looked familiar," Don Corneo said as he watched them from their backs.

"He looked like the AVALANCHE singer," the woman he dumped just now followed the blonde man's track with her eyes. "And she's clever she chose that man than you," the woman said before leaving Don Corneo.

"No wait, I was joking just now!" Don Corneo called after the woman who just dismissed him like a fly and continued to walk away.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

The next day, the sound check went smooth as they planned and a few minutes before the performance. "And everyone give it up for AVALANCHE!"

There were only shouts and screams could be heard in the hall as the AVALANCHE members entered the stage. Tifa stood behind the curtain and saw they were ready to perform. Cid gave the cue to start and a small sound of piano played in the background.

The stage was suddenly filled with lights as the music turned energetic and there was along a steady scream that was given out by Cloud, 'YEAH! ARE YOU READY!?"

Tifa had never seen him so energetic as he was at the moment and realized maybe this was a part of him that he refused to show to everyone else when he was the original Cloud.

**masshiro na sono hada wo kawaita kaze ga kusugette iru **

**nagareru nagai kami ni hitomi wa sarawarete... **

_The parched wind tickles that pure white skin_

_And your long, flowing hair catches my eye_

**kasoku sareta jikan no hari wo **

**itsumo doko ka sameta mede nagamete ita kedo **

_I always watched from a distance,_

_Never caring as the hands of time went swiftly by_

_But this world's gonna collapse _

**asa ga otozureru made kono sekai wa ochite yuku kara **

**odori tsukareta ato mo kimi wo daite itai... **

_Until the coming of the dawn_

_So even after dancing ourselves senseless_

_I want to hold you close_

Cloud was walking around the stage and teasing with Zack as he continued to sing naturally.

**gareki no ue awata dashikute **

**tomare nakute itsu no mani ka wasurete ita kedo **

_Scurrying about _

_On top of the rubble_

_I couldn't stop it_

_Before I knew it _

_I'd forgotten all about it_

**kimi ga warau to ureshikute **

**asu ga nakute mo kama wanai **

_But I love it when you smile_

_I don't care if there's no tomorrow_

**caress of venus **

**sunao na mama kuchizuketara **

**saa oki ni mesu ga mama ni **

_CARESS OF VENUS_

_Open, honest_

_If we kiss..._

_Do whatever suits your fancy_

Cloud blew out a flying kiss to the crown who turned hysterical before he grinned to Vincent who just grinned back.

**yubisaki made nani mo kamo ga **

**mawatte yuku afurete yuku mienaku naru made **

_All the way to my fingertips,_

_Everything is spinning,_

_Overflowing,_

_Until I can't see anymore_

**kimi ga inai to kurushikute **

**nani ga okite mo hanasanai **

_It hurts when you're gone_

_I won't let go no matter what_

**kimi ga warau to ureshikute **

**asu ga nakute mo kama wanai **

**kimi wo KIREI na ano basho e **

**tsurete iketara suteki da ne **

_I love it when you smile_

_I don't care if there's no tomorrow_

_It'd be wonderful if I could take you_

_To that beautiful place_

**kimi no subete ga... kimi wo dare ni mo... **

**kimi no tame nara... kimi ni ageyou... **

_Your everything..._

_(CARESS OF VENUS)_

_I won't let anybody..._

_(CARESS OF VENUS)_

_If it's for you..._

_(CARESS OF VENUS)_

_I'll give it to you..._

_(CARESS OF VENUS) _

**kimi ni hitomi wa sarawarete**

_You catch my eye_

The last beat of the song died off as the lights turned dim and the stage was engulf in darkness once again.

"Fuh, that was tiring. I've started to forget how thrilling it was to be up there," Cloud looked enthusiastic though he was sweating. Tifa gave each of them a towel and a bottle of mineral water.

"Yeah, it's been a while since we last perform," Cid agreed, he looked very alive also though he couldn't let go of his cigarette even when he was on stage.

"Good job guys! You have 15 minutes break while the other bands perform and after that you're up again. Don't wonder too far," Yuffie briefly explained to them and the guys just nodded. Tifa just admired Yuffie though sometime she might act a little childish. She could handle this managing thing quite well.

"Just one more performance and after that we're free!" Yuffie said in excitement and Tifa just smiled at her. Everything went smooth as planned before.

XXX

"You've got to be kidding me," Cloud said as he widened his eyes at Aerith's request. "Please, let's give it a shot once," Aerith half-begged him. Cloud looked around the empty place.

Aerith asked Cloud to help her practice with her first acting debut where she played a seducer at a night club and she had a kissing scene with the main actor. She needed to practice that kissing scene because the director said she didn't have the feeling for that scene.

That was why when she was suggested she should practice the scene; the first person that popped out in her mind was Cloud. She couldn't think of anybody else except him and she made a special visit to their studio for this. Luck on her side when she found that Cloud was by himself at that time.

"It's just a practice and I'm not gonna tell anyone about it. Please," Aerith made a very desperate look on her face.

"A practice?" Cloud repeated and Aerith nodded. "It's nothing more than just a practice. I promise you," she said firmly though the shine in her eyes betrayed her.

"Okay, then. It's just a practice," Cloud said again but more like to himself and looked at Aerith. Aerith smiled and turned serious at once. "I'm supposed to seduce you and when I kiss you, you just return it. With passion," Aerith read her script to Cloud.

Cloud nodded and Aerith rose from his seat. She made her way towards him and stopped in front of him as she looked down at him. "You know I've had my eyes on you since the first time we met," Aerith started. She lowered her face a few inches away from Cloud.

Cloud felt different at once. This was beyond his expectation. Was he supposed to say anything? Aerith breath was on his face as she brushed his hair with her hands.

"And I've been wanting to kiss you since then," her voice was very soft yet strong. She drew her face closer to him. Cloud felt awkward, too awkward. As their lips were about to touch, he quickly evaded her face and stood up at once.

Aerith looked at him feeling puzzled. "What? I thought you agreed," Aerith sounded disappointed. This was the second time she failed at her attempt to kiss Cloud. "Yeah, I did. But I can't," Cloud said quickly.

"Why can't you?" Aerith questioned him again, this time tears in her green eyes. Cloud remained quiet for a while. 'It's now or never.'

"I can't go around kissing people I don't love. Even in practice. Sorry," Cloud said and with that, he turned his feet and left the studio. Whatever he planned for today must be out on hold. He needed to clear his mind.

At the door, he bumped into Zack who was on his way to enter the studio. "What's wrong man?" Zack asked him. "I have to go. You guys proceed ahead with today's plan," Cloud simply said and left him before he could say anything.

Zack thought he was acting weirdly, but as he entered the studio and saw Aerith in tears, he knew something was going on.

"What happened to you?" he asked as he stood in front of the crying Aerith. Aerith just shook her head while trying to clear her tears but failed. "I just got rejected indirectly."

Zack placed his hand on his waist and saw her script on the floor. He picked it up and read it briefly. "So, it's true. You're going to act in a movie," he said.

Aerith just nodded. As Zack read the page, he realized what had happened between Aerith and Cloud. "So you come to him for the kissing scene practice?" he inquired which Aerith nodded shyly.

She suddenly felt embarrassed at herself. She acted like a desperate girl. She cried even more.

Zack looked at his first love and held her shoulders. He looked up at him but then when she saw the same eyes that haunted her for 2 years, she diverted her vision.

"I think I can help you with that," Zack said softly and Aerith thought she was hearing things. He brought his face lower to hers and in just a short time, he kissed her. Aerith stunned for a moment but then she realized he was kissing her.

She felt the familiar sense of longing as his lips touched hers gently. He closed the gap between them as he circled her with his strong arms. She just let him as part of her still couldn't resist him. She responded to him and snaked her hands around his neck.

Zack smiled in the kiss as if welcoming back the first girl he ever loved. After a while, they broke apart. Both were catching their breath but the face was closed to each other. Aerith looked up to Zack who held her cheeks gently.

"See, it's easy once you get the feeling right," Zack said breaking the silence between them. But for Aerith, that moment was more important than the scene she should be practicing.

"I miss you Zack," she said softly. Zack gave her an honest smile and said, "We've let each other go and we came back together again. I guess we can't be separated then."

Aerith nodded, "I feel guilty towards you and Cloud. First I chased him in front of you. Now, I'm kissing you." She shifted her eyes from him.

"I told you just now. I've let you do things you wanted to do and you've let me do things I wanted to do. Even after all that, we always ended up together right? It's our destiny to be together," Zack replied and met Aerith's eyes once again.

Aerith smiled to him and she felt he pulled her closer to him and kissed her once again. She didn't waste any time to kiss him back and inside her, she was thankful Cloud rejected her and made her opened her eyes.

A/N – The song that was used in this chapter is called Caress of Venus by my favourite band L'arc en Ciel…hail Laruku!! Long live Laruku!! Haha…please review okay?


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

Tifa had just finished talking on the phone with Denzel who said he was 'behaving' like an adult when Tifa wasn't around and he looked after Marlene during their trip with Barret. Even Barret depended on him on certain things like remembering to bring the house keys or locking the door before leaving the house.

Tifa smiled to herself and looked outside the window. It was a gloomy evening and she could see it would be raining heavily tonight. A small lightning flashed across the sky and she took a step back. It wasn't like she hated thunders but it drew some bad memories from the past.

She shivered to herself and locked the doors and the windows before pulling the curtains to cover the glasses. She took a deep breath and relaxed herself on the couch. She could hear the small sound thunders.

She quickly went to Cloud's room and took his mp3 player on his desk. She plugged the earphones and turned it on. She scrolled through the songs and noticed it was full of AVALANCHE songs. "Talk about full of himself," Tifa murmured.

She went to the recording part and saw a track entitled "Love Song." It seemed different because she never heard about it before. She played it and heard Zack's voice.

"I made this song fully, the lyric and melody! The title is Love Song. It's going to be sung by me for our upcoming album! So, please listen carefully especially you Cloud!" Tifa just remained quiet and heard the background noises. Then, she heard the full composed song sung by Zack himself.

The song was catchy and Tifa was glad that she found at least a song she could listen to during the critical moment. This was one of the main reason she hated being by herself in an apartment. She sat under the table while crouching and listened to the song.

'At least the song has good lyrics,' she thought to herself.

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Tifa forced herself to sleep that night. She was successful and she slept soundly. Until she had a dream, a memory that was well kept for a year.

"_Hurry up! We're gonna be late again!" Tifa heard one of her classmate, Elena called her. "Wait up! I'm coming!" Tifa called back. They were preparing for their class performance for the school festival. They had decided to do a stage performance and she was in charge of the props. _

_Being the girl known for her super-knowledge and her ability to pull things together, Tifa couldn't refuse the offer. That evening, they were busy preparing the setting for the stage and they didn't notice it was almost dark. Tifa looked at the school clock tower, "Darn! I'm gonna be late," she said to Elena._

_Most of their classmates had gone back and Tifa with Elena were the only one in the hall. "My mother is so going to kill me," Elena spoke as they rushed to pack up their stuff._

_Tifa grabbed her bag and switched off the lights. "Come on. It's gonna rain soon," Elena said as they rushed to the door. Once they locked the hall doors, Elena turned and saw a figure walking towards them. _

"_Isn't that Senior Cloud? What is he still doing here?" Elena said and Tifa followed her eyes. She saw Cloud, who was her neighbor in the hallway. "I'm not sure. Maybe he's helping out his class for the festival."_

"_The whole school knows he never joined anything. If only he's a little friendlier then he will definitely be popular," Elena said and Tifa couldn't help but to agree with her. "Come on. The gate's gonna be closed soon," Tifa pulled Elena._

_Not far away from them, Cloud saw the two girls rushing to go out from the school building, "It's about time. These girls just don't know how to look at the time." He just walked behind them without a word._

_Once they reached the gate, Elena bade Tifa goodbye and they went separate ways. Tifa looked at the dark sky, "I better be fast." She promised her father that she would be home before dinner and dinner in her house was about this time._

_Tifa turned slightly to Cloud and caught a glimpse of him walking casually behind her with one hand in his pocket while the other one holding his bag over his shoulders. Although he never said a word, Tifa was glad their houses were on the same direction. That way, she wouldn't be by herself whenever she came back from school._

_They had been neighbors ever since she was born, but they didn't usually chat about things. Tifa didn't know how to start a conversation but she thought Cloud was nice. He would acknowledge her when they passed each other and sometimes he would come over to her house whenever his mom made her mom some dishes._

_Tifa's mother had been very sick for a long time. Tifa wasn't sure what her problem was but she still loved her mother dearly. Every day after coming back from school, she would talk to her about her day and stuff. It had become a routine._

_A droplet of water fell on her cheek, "Oh man! It's raining," she said as she searched for her umbrella in her bag. Once she found it, she pulled it out and opened it. It started to get rain a little heavily. She turned to the blonde senior._

_She made her way to him through the rain. When she reached him, he was half wet. Surprisingly, his hair still defied gravity. _

"_I brought an umbrella along. Come on, it's gonna get heavier," she said as she covered her with her small umbrella. He didn't say anything but he followed her. Since she was shorter than he was and she was holding the umbrella, the umbrella kept on hitting his head._

_He groaned as he had the last of his nerve picked by the umbrella, 'Who knows an umbrella could kill you?' He held the umbrella and she turned to him shocked. Why was he touching her hand? _

"_Your umbrella is hitting me. Let me hold it," he said in the rain. She didn't protest and obeyed what he said. They made their way in the heavy rain and they stopped by his house before she returned to her house next door._

_Tifa left her umbrella on the doorway to let it dry and corrected her soaked clothes. She took off her shoes and entered the house. The house was a little dark. "I'm back."_

_When she heard no one answered her, she felt something weird. Her parents didn't say anything about going anywhere this morning. She made her way to the living room and stopped at the entrance. "Mom? Dad? I'm home," Tifa called again but only her voice echoed through the room._

_She was trying to find the switch with her hand at the middle of the living room when she felt something dripped on her cheek for the second time that day. "Is the roof leaking?" she asked herself and another drop fell on her cheek. She wiped them away._

_When her hand found the switch, she flicked it on and saw the droplets on her hand were red. She frowned and as she turned, her house was covered in blood. She didn't notice the smell when she entered the house but now, her nose picked up the smell of blood. It made her nauseated._

"_Dad!" She found her father on the floor still breathing heavily. "Dad! Get a hold of yourself!" she went beside him. He opened his watery eyes, "Tifa…" she felt her cheeks were wet with tears. Looking at her strong father lying in a pool of blood wasn't the best sight to be greeted when she came back from school._

"_Sorry Tifa… I can't take you with me… Your mother…wants to follow me…I'm sorry we can't... bring you along," he said. Tifa thought her father was rumbling about something random. "I'm gonna call an ambulance."_

_Her father caught her hand, "Live meaningfully." With that last word, her father's hand fall and he laid there motionless. Tifa felt her breath getting shorter and shook her father. "Dad! Dad!"_

_She broke down and she cried as the thunders from outside flashed through the night sky. That was when she remembered about her mother. She dashed to her mother's room and the sight of her mother covered in blood made her lose herself. "Momr!" her scream was louder than the thunderous squall outside._

_From next door, "I'm back, Cloud said and he was greeted by his mother. He had waited for Tifa to enter her house before he could go inside his. He usually did that even though she didn't notice it. His mother was about to call him when her son suddenly dropped his bag and ran back into the rain._

_She quickly turned off the stove and followed him. Cloud entered Tifa's house compound without permission and opened the gate. Abruptly, he saw Tifa who was running away from something and bumped into him._

_As Tifa looked up at the person she bumped into, her vision cleared. She clung to him and cried in the rain. He looked down at her worriedly. She never looked that devastated. He held her hair and looked passed her into the house._

_Cloud was thankful when his mother arrived and held Tifa. "I'm going to check inside." A few people had already opened their windows and they were curious about the scream they just heard. After entrusting Tifa to his mother, Cloud made his way into her house while Tifa held his mother like a lost child._

_Cloud's mother stroked her hair gently and knew that something bad had happened._

It was when she heard something crashed on the streets she woke up abruptly. She sat on her bed, 'Darn it.' Her heart was beating fast. She looked at the clock on her desk. It was only 11.00 pm.

She wiped her cold sweat and rose from her bed. It was almost that time already. She went to her window and looked outside in the rain. Each year, around her parents' death anniversary there would definitely be a day with stormy rain.

It was as if something was reminding her about that night even though she fought that feeling she had when the incident happened. The flash that crossed the sky made her stumbled back. 'This room is too big,' she said to herself.

She gathered her blanket and went to the living room. With all the furniture that occupied most of the empty spaces in the living room, the living room felt like the safest place for her at that moment. She covered herself with the blanket and sat on the couch.

She felt sleepy but her unsteady heart beatings made her unable to rest. She felt as if time went by slowly and saw the clock pointed at 11.10 pm. She was deep in thought when she heard the voice, "It's raining heavily."

She turned and saw Cloud standing beside the couch. Obviously, he was unable to sleep too. "Yeah," she said in a low voice. Cloud realized that this kind of weather wasn't her favorite and it certainly would draw her back to her past.

He sat next to her and leaned on the couch. "It sure brings back memories," he looked like he was drifting out. Tifa didn't respond. She was tired and wanted to sleep but her brain wasn't going to let her sleep.

Cloud squeezed his way to lie on the couch and placed his legs behind Tifa. Tifa looked at him in annoyance. He was interrupting her privacy but she wasn't in the mood for a fight or quarrel so, she just let him.

"You wanna talk?" he asked although he sounded tired. Tifa shook her head. "I'm sleepy." Cloud thinned his lips, "Then sleep." She rolled her eyes, 'Easy for you to say.' When Cloud didn't get a respond from her, he pulled her to him so that she would lie beside him.

He didn't say a word and neither did her. He curled her waist and held her close. The smell of her hair relaxed him. Somehow, he felt comfortable at the closeness between them. None like he had ever felt.

He felt her shivered but only temporarily. Then, she turned herself to face his chest and hugged him. He stroked her hair and after a while, he felt his clothes on his chest soaked. He realized then, she was crying silently.

Tifa held him tightly, no longer able to contain her tears. He didn't seem to mind as he just held her back. To think about it back then, he was entitled the 'Cold Hottie' for his attitude. Most juniors admired him from far and no one ever dared to talk to him if it wasn't a matter of life and death. And yet, here he was offering some comfort for one of his juniors.

Tifa clutched to him and thought to herself, 'I'm falling for him.'

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"What was it again?" the man asked her back. "Lockhart," Tifa repeated herself. She was back in Nibelheim. She didn't tell Cloud she was going to visit her parents' grave that day. She just told him she was going to be late. She wanted to face her fear herself.

Tifa knew it was time for her to move on. She didn't want to cling to her past but she wouldn't forget it either. Her past was a part of her. There was no denying it.

She had never been to her parents' grave ever since she left Nibelheim. Maybe it was because she didn't want to be haunted by the images that were restored in her memory. People thought that her parents were the victims of the loan sharks but little did they know the truth.

Tifa decided to visit their graves that year, to overcome her fear of meeting them again and to move on. As the graveyard keeper took her to their graves, she looked around. A lot of changes had been made around there. She couldn't recognize the old Nibelheim anymore.

"Here it is," the man stopped between two graves. Tifa thanked him and looked at the graves before her. "It's been a long time already, Mom, Dad."

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Tifa felt so much better after spending some time at her parents' graves. Maybe she was the one holding back. It just like the old times where they would talk for hours and hours before realizing dinner wasn't ready yet and then they would prepare the dinner together.

Tifa smiled to herself. To her surprise, when she reached the middle of Nibelheim, she saw a figure standing right at the center of the town looking at her while grinning. "What are you doing here?" Tifa walked to him quickly.

"What? This is my hometown too. I just thought about paying a visit to my mom's grave too," Cloud said to defended herself. Tifa rolled her eyes, "Yeah right! You can come by on other days." Cloud ignored her.

"And I also thought your parents would be happy if I brought them flowers. Unlike that someone who just come and stared at the tombstone for hours," he replied as he showed her some of the flowers in his hands. They were white lilies.

Tifa totally forgot about buying flowers to put on her parents' graves and she felt like something smacked her face hard. She got a hold of herself. "I didn't stare at the tombstones for hours!"

Cloud just made a face. "I bought extra. It suits you!" he said as he shoved the flowers to her and Tifa held it. "You give me the flowers you buy for dead people? You're really twisted," Tifa blew her hair out of her face while Cloud just walked away.

Tifa just followed him from behind. "Hey, can I entrust you with something?" Tifa asked. "What is it about?" Cloud asked her back.

"My parents weren't killed by the loan sharks, they killed themselves," Tifa said and it made Cloud stopped on his tracks. "But the police said…" Cloud stopped.

After seeing his reactions, Tifa decided to tell him the whole truth about the incident. "It's true that we were in bind because of my father was the guarantor for his friend who owed the loan sharks but they didn't kill my parents."

"How'd you know?" Cloud asked in disbelief. "Because the knife that was used that evening was the one we put in my mother's drawer just in case anything happen to her when we weren't around. For her self defense." Tifa walked passed him.

"Why would your parents kill themselves?" Cloud was more confused. "I read in my mother's diary she kept in my room before she died. She overheard my father's conversation with the loan shark and one night when my father thought he couldn't stand it any longer, he accidentally slipped out about killing himself so that we can get the insurance money to leave this place away from the loan sharks," Tifa replied.

"My mom said she would follow my father wherever he goes. She said it's hard for her to live without him." Tifa held back her breath. "And that night when it happened, my mom thought my father had killed himself when he locked up in his room and there was a loud crash. My mom didn't think twice. She used the knife that we put in her drawer to kill herself."

Cloud thought Tifa was going to cry so he placed his hand on her shoulder. "No, I promised them that they will no longer be my weakness. Even if they're dead."

Cloud just nodded slowly. "But my father didn't kill himself. He was very stressful and he threw the table lamp and it crashed on the floor. When he finally came out from his room, my mom was no longer breathing. He used the same knife to take away his life." Tifa continued as she steadied herself.

"When I came home that night, he was on the verge of death. He told me to live meaningfully," Tifa ended as she looked up ahead. "So, I'm not gonna let this episode of my life become my weakness. They're my strength. I wanna make them proud," she said with a smile.

Cloud nodded in agreement. Tifa was back to her usual self. "And Cloud, I'm sorry you didn't get to go to the school festival during your senior year. It's because your mom took me in for a week and you helped me a lot," Tifa said earnestly.

"Nah, I don't like attending those kind of things anyway. It's too troublesome," Cloud replied.

"Really? But back then I always saw you stayed after school and you only leave almost the same time as I did," Tifa looked at him in question. Cloud looked uncomfortable for a moment. He quickly avoided the subject and walked ahead. Tifa thought he was acting strange.

"I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat," Cloud said as he turned to face her while walking backwards. "Yeah, I saw there's a new restaurant at the corner. Let's try there," she said as she took the lead to show him the restaurant.

Cloud just shrugged and followed the brunette. At least she was back to her usual self. Cloud smiled a little at this.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Tifa was cleaning the practicing room in the apartment when she saw a few of sheets of papers on the floor. She picked it up and saw they were song lyric and melody. But it wasn't completed yet and there was a huge X mark on the page indicating the song was rejected.

It was hand written and Tifa knew it was Cloud's handwriting.

Tifa knew the notes on the melody sheet and went to the piano. She pushed a few button to get the sound right. She failed on her first trial but she tried again. This time, as if magical, she got the first few notes corrected.

Then, she moved on to the next line, which sounded weird to her. "Wait, this doesn't sound right. It's too rough." She took a pencil and cancelled the whole line and created her own melody. "Soba ni ite hoshii yo, tonight…" she sang to herself.

Without her realizing it, she spent the rest of the afternoon trying to correct the melody of the song while making a few changes to the song. Cloud won't be angry since he rejected the song already.

After making sure the melody was perfect, she decided to play the whole song on the piano. "This is so cool."

She started playing in the piano for the first verse. She felt something in her moved, as if something was awakened and she felt alive. The next thing she knew, she was singing the song while playing the piano, which she hadn't able to do for a long time.

"Always tsutaetai zutto eien ni…" the song ended but to her surprise, she heard someone clapped their hands from her back. She turned quickly in shock and her face was white as sheet. That wasn't good for her heart.

"Cloud, Vincent! How long have you been here?" she asked as she never noticed anyone entering the room.

"Long enough to see you do wonder to Cloud's trash," Vincent replied. Cloud just made a face before picking up the electric guitar and plugged it to the amplifier.

"Like I said, I was going to work on that song later," Cloud said as he tested the sound of the guitar and adjusted it.

"Right, I shouldn't interrupt you guys then. I'm already gone," Tifa said as she rose from the piano bench. "Hey Tifa," he called.

Tifa turned to Cloud. "Try playing from the last chorus," Cloud said as he looked up at her. Tifa frowned but she sat back on the bench and played the melody. She sang to herself to get the melody right and as the melody came to an end, Cloud entered into the song by playing a tune that seemed to be the perfect ending for the song.

"That's it. I've been looking for it," Cloud smiled in satisfaction and put his guitar down. Vincent just nodded. He felt it too when the song was played.

"What's the name of the song?" Vincent asked. Cloud looked at Tifa, "I'll give Tifa the honor to name it," Cloud said and Tifa raised her brows in disbelief.

"Really?" she looked excited. He just nodded and waited for her response. After a while, she looked up and said, "Endless Story."

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"Barret called just now. He said he's coming back with the kids tomorrow. He got some work to do. Then, after that, they'll be on another trip for another few weeks," Tifa said to Cloud on the phone.

"Really? That'll mean I can have my little entertainment back at home tomorrow," Cloud replied as he heard the sound of Tifa's laughter on the other side. "What are you doing now?" Cloud asked.

"Nothing. Cleaning the house and after that, I want to give another shot at finding a job," Tifa replied. "You're not giving up huh?" Cloud admired the spirit she had in her. "Nope."

"Hey, what time are you coming back for dinner tonight?" Tifa asked suddenly. "I think around 7, we're supposed to have a meeting with the album director in a while," Cloud said as Zack motioned him to get off the phone already.

"Oh really. I won't keep you any longer, see you tonight then!" Tifa said and hung up. While smiling to herself, she went to the kitchen and returned to her cooking. Today was her birthday and she wanted to have a nice dinner with Cloud.

She didn't expect anyone to remember or celebrate it but she just wanted to have someone to eat with her. She never liked to stay by herself on her birthday night. Before her parents' death, they usually made her a small birthday dinner and they would chat all night. She became accustomed to it and therefore, she never like to be alone on her birthday night.

She went to her soup and tasted it, "Perfect!"

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Tifa waited for Cloud since 6.30 and it was now 7.30 in the evening. He was late and Tifa was worried that the dinner might get cold. She went to the phone and dialed his number. It was busy but she tried again. It was still busy.

She hung up and went to the TV to watch the news. She glanced at the clock and decided to wait a little longer. If the kids were with her then maybe she wouldn't feel like this.

Tifa continued to watch the TV though there was nothing that made her interested. She flipped through the channels and stopped at the movie channel. She could watch it and waited for Cloud to come home.

Cloud didn't come home even after the movie had ended. She felt a stab of disappointment and turned off the TV. She went to the table and looked at the untouched foods. She didn't feel like eating anymore.

She took the trash bin and poured all of the food into the bin without thinking twice. "I shouldn't have my hopes too high," she said as she threw away the foods and placed the bin back at the kitchen. She washed all the dishes and cleaned the kitchen.

She wanted to bathe to sooth herself. She went into the bathroom and let the tap ran. She poured each body shampoo she could find in the bathroom until the tub was bubbled up. After looking at the amount of the bubble in the tub, she undressed herself and get into the tub.

She turned off the tap with her foot and lied in the tub while looking at the ceiling. She wondered what Marlene and Denzel were doing. Were they excited to see her again? She restrained herself hard not to think about that certain someone.

She let her thoughts drifted and she fell asleep in the tub.

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"Tifa, wake up. You're sleeping in the bath," Tifa was awakened as she heard the voice. Tifa shifted a little and when she felt she wasn't in her bed, she opened her eyes.

She was greeted with the scene of Cloud in his towel, apparently he was about to take a shower when he saw her sleeping in the tub. "What time is it?" Tifa asked him. "About 10.30 pm."

It was only half an hour she fell asleep. "Can I join you? It looks so much fun with all the bubbles," Cloud asked as he had that boyish look on his face.

"What?" Tifa didn't answer him but he dropped his towel and got into the bath tub. Tifa managed to close her eyes from seeing things she wasn't supposed to see that might give her a hard time sleeping tonight.

Cloud sat in front of her and she quickly drew back her legs and clutched them to her chest. "You really need to grow up," Tifa said as her face was red.

"What? My mom used to ask me to rub her back when she bathed," Cloud defended himself. Cloud leaned his head against the wall behind him and he looked relaxed for a while. He closed his eyes. Tifa just watched him, too afraid to move even a muscle.

"Fuh it's such a tiring day. The producer was so fussy," Cloud began without Tifa saying anything. Tifa still watched him carefully if he tried to do anything funny. "He asked us to stay with him until he could come up with a concept then only he allowed us to go." He yawned.

Then, there was a long moment of silence as Tifa didn't know how to respond. Tifa just watched the blonde. Then, it only hit her, "Hey, don't fall asleep in here. You're the one intruding!" Tifa said out loud. Cloud didn't move.

Tifa blew out her breath in an annoyed matter. "Cloud! Don't you dare to sleep in here!" she commanded as she sprinkled him with the water.

"I wasn't! I was just thinking!" Cloud said as he wiped the soapy water from his face. He adjusted his seat and pushed his hair back. Tifa looked away; she didn't want to be mesmerized any more by him.

"Here, help me wash my back," he requested as he handed her a small towel with a bar soap in it. When he didn't see her responding he reached out to give her the towel.

"No, stay away! Keep your distance!" She warned him as she clutched to herself tighter. Cloud laughed at her behavior and smiled mischievously. "I asked you to help me wash my back."

Tifa took the towel and Cloud turned to back her. She didn't say anything but she was feeling a little weird when she touched him.

'You're just washing his back!' Tifa said to herself. She began to scrub his back as he just stared at the wall.

"Tomorrow, the kids will be back right?" he asked. "Uh huh," Tifa nodded as she rub his broad shoulders. "Don't you think they should go to a school?"

Tifa looked at his hair but didn't answer him right away. "Like going to a proper school and grow up like us back in Nibelheim," Cloud continued. Silently, Tifa agreed with him.

"There's no school near here. Most of the schools are in the smaller towns," Tifa said. Cloud nodded as if he had expected her to say that.

"But there's one in the town where Barret lives," Cloud replied and Tifa stopped scrubbing his back. "We can't let Barret take care of the kids by himself," Tifa said. Cloud turned to face her. Tifa retreated a little.

He held her shoulders and turned her back to face him without saying anything. Why did she have a feeling that this conversation was leading to somewhere. "I know," he said as she took the small towel and adjusted the soap in it.

He gathered all of Tifa's long hair and placed it on her left shoulder, exposing her back. Tifa didn't move or say anything; she just waited for him to continue.

"But it's a different story if Barret suggested it himself," Cloud said and it made Tifa turned her head to face him. "He didn't say anything to me this morning," she said.

Cloud began to scrub her back slowly. "He doesn't know how to break the news to you," Cloud said in a soft voice. He knew she was going to take it the hard way. "What did the kids say?"

Cloud paused for a while, "They say they'll follow as you say." Tifa looked down at the bubbles and thought deeply.

It would be unfair for her to keep the kids from going to school but that would mean, she would be by herself in Cloud's apartment.

"There's no need to rush. You think about it first. They'll be back tomorrow anyway," Cloud said, not wanting to force the girl to make a decision.

There was another long pause of silence. "How'd the job interview today?" Cloud changed the subject. Tifa looked around anxiously. She didn't go for any interview today because she was cooking at the house.

"As always, same excuses," Tifa said almost sounded like she was mumbling. Cloud got the hint that she didn't want to talk about it.

"Okay then, we should get out. I'm all pruned up," he said as he rose from the tub. Tifa was glad he was at her back and when she heard him gone into the shower room, she quickly grabbed a towel and covered herself.

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After bathing that night, Cloud went to the kitchen to have a drink. Tifa was already in her room, maybe thinking about the news he just told her.

He was washing the glass when he saw the trash bin was full with foods. He looked into the bin carefully. It looked like Tifa made him dinner but he didn't come back.

Then, he only remembered that he promised her to come back for dinner. Cloud looked at the clock on the kitchen wall, it was 11.15 pm of May the 3rd. 'It's her birthday.'

No wonder she acted a little out of herself just now. Cloud thought it might be because she was bored or something. Cloud felt bad about it.

He went to her room and knocked on the door. Tifa opened it, looking fresh and clean. "What is it?" she asked. "I'm feeling kind of hungry; can you accompany me to the convenient store now?"

Tifa turned to look at the clock on her desk. "It's already past 11," she stated. Cloud nodded, "The convenient store is open 24 hours," Cloud stated back.

Tifa felt a little tense since she had been staying indoor for a few days already. "Sure," she said as she came out from her room and followed Cloud from his back.

After locking the door, they went to the convenience store near the apartment and after buying some food, Cloud sat on the rail by the roadside while Tifa just leaned on it. She looked up at the sky.

There weren't so many people at night and tonight was a clear night. She couldn't see the stars but she knew they were there. Cloud opened an Amino-D drink and took a gulp. He offered some to Tifa who just refused.

"Are you mad at me?" Cloud asked without turning to her. "Why should I?" she asked him back. "I said I'll be home for dinner but I didn't and it's your birthday," Cloud said as he took a glance at Tifa.

Tifa didn't say anything; she just looked at the sky. She didn't know how she felt that moment. With her lonely birthday night and the news about the kids, she didn't sure which one made her sad.

"Happy birthday. It's 2 minutes to midnight," Cloud wished her. He took out something from his pocket and handed it to her. "I don't know if you'll like it but it's my favorite and I want you to have it," Cloud said. Tifa looked at the ring in her palm that had a shape of a wolf craved on it.

The carving was the same as his ear ring. A tear slipped for her eyes. She brushed it away only to be replaced with more tears. Cloud noticed this and he turned to her. "I'm really sorry."

Tifa shook her head and wiped her face. "No, it's not you. I don't know what's wrong with me," Tifa said with a smile, trying to hide her tears. She took a deep breath but the tears wouldn't stop.

Cloud just let her and he didn't say anything. "I'm an idiot aren't I?" Tifa said more like to herself. "I don't know what I really want in my life. I didn't go for any interview today, I lied. I stayed at home, I cooked for dinner and now I'm acting like an idiot. And I don't know what I should say to Marlene and Denzel."

Cloud just looked at her; he picked the wrong time to break the news to her. She played with the ring in her hand and turned to him. "Thank you for this one." She gave him a smile as she showed him the ring.

From where he sat, Cloud reached over to her and pulled her closer to him. He wasn't sure how would she reacted but he still brought his face towards hers and placed his lips on hers. He dropped the plastic he was holding and held her hand while his other hand held her waist.

It was more like his lips pressed on hers but he didn't feel like letting go. She didn't push him back neither did she respond. After a while, he pulled back just far enough for him to look at her. At first she didn't look at him but after a while, her warm eyes met his cold-blue colored one.

She didn't move away from him or say anything. Tifa clasped the ring in her hand tightly. Cloud didn't move his eyes from her and watched her carefully. "I'm supposed to be 23 this year right?" he asked her.

Tifa nodded her head with a smile on her soft feature, "Welcome back." She used her free hand to brush his cheek and the next thing she realized, they were kissing once again.

His strong arms were holding her close to him and she felt the butterflies in her stomach fluttered as he deepened the kiss. They kissed like there were no worries of what would happen afterward, tomorrow or a month from then.

All that matter was Cloud Strife was kissing with Tifa Lockhart- the first girl that stole his heart and never seemed to return it back to him after all these years.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

"Welcome back!" Tifa greeted the kids once she opened the door for them. "I miss you so much," she said as she hugged them. Denzel blushed at this and Tifa took the chance to tease him, "I thought you're an adult already." Denzel just looked away sheepishly.

"Come on in," Tifa invited Barret along with the kids and Marlene dashed into the apartment. "Cloud's not home?" Marlene asked. "Nope, they got this Shinra anniversary thingy going on. He says hi to his little princess though," Tifa said as she went to join them in the living room. Marlene smiled widely.

"I met a friend at Papa's house and I told her I knew Cloud but she didn't believe me at all. One day I'm gonna bring Cloud's silly pictures and show it to her then only she'll believe me," Marlene said in one breath and it made Tifa smiled. She missed Marlene.

"Marlene, that's not important. As long as we know the truth why would they matter anyway?" Denzel asked the girl. Marlene made a face. "But I hate people who don't believe me."

Tifa rose from her seat and sat between them. "What if Cloud send you to your new school and that way everyone will believe you," Tifa said and it made their eyes widened. "You mean we can go to school?" Denzel looked at her in disbelief. Tifa nodded.

Their reactions were beyond expectation as they jumped on her and hugged her tightly. "Thanks Tifa," they said in unison. Tifa just brushed their hair lovingly. Barret just looked at the happy family before him with a proud smile.

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So Cloud did send the kids on their first day at school and it drew a crowd. "I don't even know why I agree with your suggestion about this," Cloud said between his teeth to the shorter brunette in front of him. Tifa just made an innocent face. They pushed their way through the crowd.

"Barret, help me distract the crowd. We'll head for the train station after this. I'll guess we'll see you around," Tifa said and Barret just nodded.

"Ah!" Suddenly a male voice broke out among the noises in the crowd. Tifa turned to see it was Barret. "He's getting away!" the man said as he pointed to a direction where a blonde man was heading towards the exit. Although the crowd was suspicious but they looked at the direction too.

Tifa took the chance to help her celebrity friend to escape as she pulled him into a taxi. "Don't let him get away!" Barret continued and soon, the crowd was already heading for the opposite direction from their taxi. Tifa waved at him from the taxi in thanks.

Tifa pulled something from her bag, "Never leave the house without these," and handed him a cap and a pair of sunglasses. "To the train station please," she said. He put it on and blew out his breath. "Don't sigh like that. It'll make you feel old," the taxi driver said.

"I was just feeling a little tired," Cloud replied. "There's nothing that's not tiring in this world. And you're still young, so much to do with so much energy," he said.

'This man has no idea what kind of work I do for a living,' Cloud thought and decided it was not important to make him understand. "It's actually nice to have so many people to like you," the man said. Cloud met his eyes in the rear-view mirror.

"It's even harder trying to put up with that and acting all perfect in front of everyone," Cloud felt intrigued with that man. Tifa just remained quiet. "That's too bad but it's your job. You know it was going to happen before you set your mind to be in this field. And I've said it once, there's nothing not tiring in this world. Not even when you love someone. Am I right young lady?" he asked.

Tifa snapped when he directed the question to her. "I guess so." She turned to Cloud. He seemed to be thinking. "Well, I guess I'm in no position to talk like that considering the fact that I'm just a taxi driver. I won't understand the live of a celebrity anyway," the taxi driver said ending the conversation.

When they reached the train station and bought the tickets, they around 15 minutes until the train arrive. Tifa looked around and saw a group of girls making their way towards Cloud. "Danger," she said as she pointed towards them.

They quickly got up and went towards the toilet direction. "I know it sounds ridiculous but we have to wait in the toilet." He announced. "Nope. You have to wait in the toilet. I will wait outside here," Tifa refused. She could smell the toilet from where she was standing.

"Whatever. Just wait outside and tell me when the coast is clear," Cloud said and entered the male toilet. Tifa just stood outside there like a statue.

She glanced into the female toilet and saw a few people in it. She didn't feel like she has any business to do in the toilet anyway. She eyes the group of girls who seemed to be searching for someone and Tifa smiled to herself.

After some time, the group of girls left. She was about to call Cloud when she felt someone covered her mouth and pulled her into the deserted alley beside the toilet. It smelled even worse there.

"Give me your purse and I won't hurt you," a man approached her from her front while holding out a pocket knife. The one who was holding her was pinning her and her mouth. It wasn't like she had a choice.

'Do it or regret it,' she said to herself. Using her left leg, she kicked the man in front of her as hard as she could and she hit his private part. "Ugh!" the man dropped on his knees while dropping his knife.

"What the hell!?" the man was rewarded by a hard stomp on his foot and he released her immediately. Seeing her chance to run, she quickly made her way away from those men but the first man caught her foot and she stumbled onto the ground.

"Ouch!" she looked at her hand to see if there was any bruise but luckily none. The man was standing in front of her with the second man.

"I've been nice," the man spat and hold out his knife to her. She wasn't afraid of him but she couldn't take them down at the same time. She needed a distraction.

It was as if a knight in a shining armor decided to show up at that moment and the first man was sent flying crashing into the wall of the alley. The second man was shocked but more shocked when he saw Tifa lifted her fist and met his jaw in one deadly blow.

"Hurry up, before things get worse," Cloud pulled her and they dashed out of the alley. The train arrived on time and they quickly boarded it while laughing like little kids.

"A celebrity comes to the rescue. I'm so moved!" Tifa contained her giggles as she found her seat and sat on it. "Why don't you announce it to the whole train?" Cloud asked her sarcastically.

"But then I have to do the rescuing. Nah, it'll be troublesome," Tifa said and caught her breath. "Plus, you never heard a prince got saved by the princess right? It'll drop your ego to zero," she added and Cloud just rolled his eyes in pure annoyance.

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Cloud looked at the brunette who was moving around the kitchen, cleaning up the dishes and clearing everything. He had a favor to ask her. The song that she helped him to make sounded weird when he sang it. That was what Vincent said when they practiced it.

They were supposed to perform that song and the song that Zack made on Shinra's anniversary. So far, only Zack's song got approval from his band members. Cloud didn't know which part of the song didn't fit his voice.

And Vincent was the one who came up with the idea of asking Tifa to sing the song for that night. He even got the permission from Rufus to let a female to sing that night. It was supposed to be a surprise for the audience. The rest of AVALANCHE also agreed with Vincent.

Now, it was his turn to do his part, ask Tifa if she could help him. Yuffie was supposed to come over to help him persuaded her but Yuffie was late for 15 minutes now.

Then, the bell rang. "I thought she's never going to come," Cloud murmured as he went to the door. "Sorry Cloud! I had a last minute arrangement with that anniversary thing!" Yuffie apologized as she made a guilty look.

Behind her were Vincent, Cid and even Zack. They all showed up to help him? "We thought you might need some back up to convince her," Zack grinned as he entered the house.

"Yeah, we can't let you mess up the plan. I can't stand hearing you sing that song," Cid said bluntly but then he let out a grin. Cloud just made a 'I-don't-care' face.

"So, where is she?" Yuffie asked as her eyes glittered up. Cloud pointed to the kitchen. All of them made their way to the kitchen. "Stop following me. The kitchen is small. You people go and wait in the living room. I'll drag her there," Yuffie said a little irritated as Zack stepped on her foot.

"Puff…fine," Zack said and he retreated to the living room.

The guys waited at the living room nervously. Cloud was pacing around the room. 'What if she refused?' He didn't have any back up plan. That would mean he had to come up with another song. He scratched his head.

Then, from the kitchen, "Heh!? You gotta be kidding me!" All heads turned towards that direction, silently prayed that Yuffie would come out in one piece.

"It won't be that bad," Yuffie's voice was heard trying to persuade Tifa. Then, there was silence once again. Their voices became louder as they approached the living room. "That's not possible. Plus, I have stage fright. I won't be able to do it," Tifa tried to find excuses.

As they entered the living room, Tifa was shocked to find AVALANCHE was there. "Everyone," she gasped. They were serious about inviting her to sing at the Shinra's anniversary.

4 pairs of eyes were set on her. "Please Tifa!" Zack rose from his seat and made his way to her. "It's an important event for us!" Zack added. Tifa felt bad at the moment to refuse the offer. She looked uncomfortable at the moment.

"I know I'm bad at this but I really need your help right now," Cid added in a serious tone that added more guilt to her. She looked at Yuffie, who already made a begging face.

"Yeah, they will decide whether we should be recording an album based on our performance that night," Vincent who had always been quiet said. "I don't know. I never sing on a stage before and I always mess up things when I'm on stage," Tifa warned them.

"That's all right. They'll back you up. And we'll have practice session before the event," Yuffie said in a convincing voice that almost made Tifa said yes.

"And you'll get paid handsomely if you perform well," Zack added. Tifa looked around. She was a bit shy with the thought of people watching her on stage.

"Plus, it's a masquerade party. People won't see your face," Zack said and Tifa looked at each of them.

"I'll try my best," Tifa said in a low voice but was replied with a tight hug from Yuffie and a loud, "We're saved!" from Zack.

And the one who was supposed to convince her to agree never said a word. He just watched from his corner.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

It was the day of Shinra's anniversary. They were supposed to be on stage in 5 minutes. Tifa took a deep breath and adjusted her mask. She thought the mask was pretty but when she put it on, she looked funny.

"Get a grip Tifa. AVALANCHE will come up the stage from that side and you from this side. The stage will be dark so, follow what the staff tells you. Then, when the curtain is lowered, the music will play off you go, okay?" Yuffie briefly explained to her.

Tifa nodded in nervousness. She had done this in practice. She could do it! This mask would hide her face from the crowd. That would be a good thing.

"Next up! AVALANCHE performance! Get ready!" Tifa heard the stage manager announced. She took one long and deep breath before exhaling it quickly. "Here goes," she said as she followed the staff onto the stage.

She was lead to what she believed her microphone stand and she could hear whispering from around her. "Good luck everyone!" she whispered. "Yeah! Let's do it!" Zack's voice was heard. Then, they heard the cue.

The curtain lowered and Tifa could hear the music started in the background. She closed her eyes to get the feelings for the song. The feelings she had back when she composed the melody of the song.

When she opened her eyes, the lights slowly shone on her and then the rest of the stage. She looked up ahead and opened her mouth and started to sing.

**If you haven't changed your mind  
Soba ni ite hoshii yo Tonight**

_If you haven't changed your mind  
Then I want you by my side Tonight_

**Tsuyogaru koto ni tsukareta no  
Osana sugita no Everytime I think about you baby  
Ima nara ieru I miss you  
It's so hard to say I'm sorry**

_I'm so tired of always having to bluff  
Everytime I think about you baby, I feel so young  
If I could just tell you I miss you  
It's so hard to say I'm sorry_

She looked at the crowd who was obviously surprised by her appearance and somehow, she could feel their admiration towards the song.

**Tatoeba dare ka no tame ja naku anata no tame ni  
Utaitai kono uta wo  
Owara nai story tsuduku kono kagayaki ni  
Always tsutaetai zutto eien ni**

_You see, I want to sing this song, not for just anyone  
but just for you  
An ENDLESS STORY that keeps on shining  
Always, I wanna show you, forever and ever_

**Memories of our time together  
Kesa nai de kono mama don't go away**

_Memories of our time together  
this way, they don't go away_

**Atatakaku toke dashite tashikameru no  
Yasashisa no shizuku kono mune ni hirogatteku  
Setsu nai hodo ni I'm missing you  
Kasaneta te hanasa naide**

_Once I knew that the warmth between us had disappeared,  
gentle tears started to spread over my chest  
This is not where it ends, I'm missing you  
please don't let go of my hand_

**Tatoeba kanau nara mou ichido anata no tame ni  
Utai tai kono uta wo  
Owara nai story taemanai itoshisa de  
tell me why oshiete yo zutto eien ni**

_You see, I wish I could sing this song, just for you  
just one more time  
An ENDLESS STORY of undying love  
tell me why, please tell me, forever and ever_

There was a pause for the lyric and the music was played in the background. Tifa closed her eyes once again and saw only one face in her mind. Once she got her cue to start singing again, she opened her eyes and automatically, her tears overflow.

**Tatoeba dare ka no tame ja naku anata no tame ni  
Utaitai kono uta wo  
Owara nai story tsuduku kono kagayaki ni  
Always tsutaetai zutto eien ni**

_You see, I want to sing this song, not for just anyone  
but just for you  
An ENDLESS STORY that keeps on shining  
Always, I wanna show you, forever and ever_

**Tatoeba kanau nara mou ichido anata no tame ni  
Utai tai kono uta wo  
Owara nai story taemanai itoshisa de  
tell me why oshiete yo zutto eien ni**

_You see, I wish I could sing this song, just for you  
just one more time  
An ENDLESS STORY of undying love  
tell me why, please tell me, forever and ever_

The last word of the song was continued by a guitar solo by Cloud. She turned her head slightly to him and saw him as if he was bathed in lights while playing the guitar. Tifa thinned her lips and let the last drop of her tears fell onto her hand that was holding the microphone.

When the song ended, the stage was darkened once again but this time she heard a loud cheer came from the crowd. She could see their faces, some of them shed some tears like she did, and some were holding their partners' hands while others just smiled.

She even saw Rufus Shinra clapped his hands with a smile across his face. Lastly, she turned to Cloud and he nodded at her slightly. She smiled and felt as if her heart soared above the sky. For once, she felt free.

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Tifa looked around the hall, feeling a little out of place. She had already changed her outfit and her mask so that people wouldn't know she was the one singing up the stage.

"Good job you did up there," a familiar voice greeted her. She turned and saw a lady beside her. "Aerith?" she asked. The lady just nodded as she removed her mask for a moment and put it on back.

"I… uh," Tifa didn't know what to say. "Don't worry, my lips are sealed," Aerith said as she got what Tifa meant. Tifa nodded and smiled in relief. "You came by yourself?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah, I'm meeting someone," she said with a smile. Tifa raised her brows in curiosity. Aerith noticed her reactions and giggled. "You haven't heard?"

"About what?" Tifa asked her back. "I was dumped by Cloud," Aerith said. It made Tifa even more surprised. "What? He didn't say anything about it," Tifa couldn't believe her ears.

"Well, he did," Aerith blew out her breath. "But, I'm okay about it now. So, don't worry about it," Aerith said with a reassuring smile. Tifa just let out a small smile in return.

"I gotta get going. I have to find my manager first," Aerith said and left Tifa standing in the crowd by herself.

Tifa turned to the stage when the MC announced the next performance was from AVALANCHE again. They were on stage once again.

Cloud went to the microphone and cleared his voice. "This song is fully written and composed by Zack Fair. I have to admit that I like the song from the bottom of my heart and tonight, I'm singing it in a different version. Please listen to the Love Song."

**Kitto kimi yori mo ii hito nante mou inai **

**Ima yatto kizuita**

**Dakara mou ichido boku no **

**Soba ni ite kurenai ka...**

_For sure, there's no longer anyone better than you, _

_I've finally realised that now _

_So won't you come and be by my side once again?_

**Itsu made mo issho ni iyou ne tte Futari chikai atta kedo**

**Futari no shiawase na jikan wa Toki wo kizamu no wo yameta**

_We promised each other, that we'd always be together _

_But the happy times we had have stopped ticking_

**Ima machigai ni kizuite mo **

**Boku no ayamachi wa kesu koto ga dekinai**

**Kimi no koto omou to itooshisa de mune ga itai yo**

_Even though I've realised my mistakes now, they can't be erased _

_Whenever I think of you, the love makes my heart hurt_

**Itsuka moshi mo mata guuzen dokoka de aetara yarinaoseru no nara  
Tatoe nani ga okita tte hanashitari wa shinai  
Kitto kimi yori mo ii hito nante mou inai  
Ima yatto kidzuita  
Dakara mou ichidou boku no soba ni itekurenai ka**

_If, just if we could meet by chance again someday, and if we could start all over  
If, just if anything happened, I'd never leave you  
For sure, there's no longer anyone better than you,  
I've finally realised that now  
So won't you come and be by my side once again?_

**Yeah…**

It was the first time Cloud held the notes that long and it surprised Tifa that he could pull it off without breaking his voice. Surprisingly, the next lyric of the song was sung by Zack. And it made the crowd went wild.

**Aenai jikan ni kuzureta ai no bun dake kitsuku dakishimeru kara  
Tatoe nani ga okita tte hanashitari wa shinai**

_When we didn't see each other, all I could do was hold tight to what was left of our ruined love  
So if anything happened, I won't let go_

Then, the two males combined their voices and sang together.

_  
_**Kitto kimi yori mo ii hito nante mou inai  
Ima yatto kidzuita  
Dakara mou ichidou boku no soba ni itekurenai ka?****  
**

_There's certainly no longer anyone better than you  
I've finally realised that now  
So won't you come be by my side once again?_

**Soshite itsu no hi ka kimi to eien no ai ni chikai o**  
And so, someday, a promise of everlasting love with you…

The crowd cheered as always and Tifa looked at the blonde who seemed to be shining with lights. She didn't really understand what he thought and the way he did things. They seemed very different from each other.

Seeing the bright lights enveloping him she wondered, 'Will I be able to match his shine?'

* * *

A/N – the first song I used is from Yuna Ito entitled Endless Story…it was from Nana the Movie OST…and the second song was from NEWS Yamashita Tomohisa..the title is Love Song…but this version is the one where Tegoshi Yuya sang in their Spring Concert…I really like that version and decided to put it up… 

And lastly, thanks for all your comments. I'm motivated to continue the chapter!!


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

After the night of Shinra's anniversary, reporters and the media had been on high alert about the mysterious singer that collaborated with AVALANCHE. Rufus who had been interviewed only said that he allowed that to happen because he wanted something fresh for his company.

"Heh, I knew it. It was a good idea to invite Tifa to sing along with us. That song just doesn't sound nice when a man sings it," Cid said as he lit up his cigarette. Cloud just smiled a little.

"We all have to thank Vincent about it. Why don't we go and celebrate it tonight?" Zack suggested. The rest of the guys looked at each other before nodding in agreement.

"What! There's a bad news!" Yuffie suddenly barged into their room without knocking. "How many times do I have to tell you to knock before entering? What if I was changing my pants just now?" Zack pretended to be irritated.

Yuffie just ignored him and turned to Cloud and Vincent. She was silent and worry was clearly written on her face. Cloud's eyes narrowed as he rose from his seat. Vincent put down his bass and followed Cloud towards Yuffie.

"What is it?" Vincent asked without delay. Yuffie didn't respond, instead she just held out her hand and gave the newspaper she was holding. Cloud took it and read the front page. It was a tabloid.

His face turned white as sheet. Vincent looked at him in curiosity. What caused him to act like that?

Cloud quickly closed the newspaper and caught his breath. "Shit," he murmured and held his head. The rest of AVALANCHE got the hint that it _IS_ bad. Zack snatched the paper from Cloud and read the headline out loud, "The secret is out."

"The ever eloquent and cold Cloud from AVALANCHE who was known for not making his private life public was seen with a mysterious lady…" Zack stopped reading and his eyes focused on the rest of the news.

Zack looked at the pictures that were printed out on the page. He could tell the lady was Tifa. Although all of the pictures didn't show her face but he knew it was her. Zack raised his eyes to look at the shaken blonde.

Zack passed the paper to Cid who lost his words when he read the news. "This is bad. And I mean damn bad," he said.

"Rufus had already aware of the matter. He wants to see all of you at once," Yuffie sounded scared, for the first time. She knew that Shinra never tolerate romance relationship for the artists that had joined the group less in one year.

"He's waiting in his office right now," Yuffie added. Cloud pulled himself together and tried to act normal. He made his way out of the room into the elevator and headed to Rufus' office.

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"So you've heard?" Rufus stood facing his glass window while backing the AVALANCHE members. Cloud just shifted uncomfortably. "What do you plan to do then? We've already make it clear when we sign the contract 10 months ago," Rufus asked in a serious tone.

Cloud just remained quiet. The rest of AVALANCHE didn't want to interrupt, so they also remained quiet. "I know," Cloud said in a low voice.

Rufus turned and met him in the eyes. "Do you understand what does it mean being in this business?" Rufus asked again. Cloud just looked back at him.

"You know why that "stupid" and "ridiculous" rule was made in our company?" He shot again. Seeing Cloud chose to remain quiet he continued, "You said you have people you want to protect. But your actions said otherwise."

Cloud's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?" Rufus crossed his arms on his chest and looked at him sharply. "They have already gone to your place."

Upon hearing that, Cloud body moved on automation. "And where do you think you're going?" Rufus asked as if he was expecting Cloud to act that way. "I'm going back. After I make sure everything's okay, I'll come back here," Cloud said.

He was stopped at the door when he almost bumped into Rude and Shion. "Move," he demanded but they didn't move an inch.

"That's exactly what they wanted you to do. They're waiting for you to come and once you set your feet there, your career is over," Rufus said in a threatening manner. Cloud turned to face him.

"I asked you once again. Why do you think we made that rule? Have you ever given it any thought?" Rufus asked. Cloud looked down on Rufus table.

"That stupid rule is what going to protect the people you want to protect. You already know that once you decided to enter this business, you'll have to go through a lot of tough things but you are mentally prepared for it. Unlike you, that girl doesn't know how cruel and brutal this business is. She only knows the things on the surface."

Rufus took the newspaper from his table and made his way to Cloud. "The media won't stop harassing her and her private life whether she likes it or not. It's not her that they want to expose but you. They will not stop at anything to get into your private life."

Cloud raised his eyes and looked at Rufus. "That's why the rule exists. It isn't about controlling your new artist only but to ensure your own future career. You're new in this glamorous world and trust me there are more dirty things than just what you can imagine." Rufus continued.

Cloud thought for a long time and took the newspaper from Shinra. He looked at each of the pictures. There were only 3 pictures; the first one was when they were on the plane to Gold Saucer. The next was the one after he helped her when she met Don Corneo. And the last one was the night when they went to the convenient store. It had to be the picture where he kissed her.

Cloud blew out his breath, giving up. He didn't know what to do. "Fine, have it your way. I'm lost already," he said and went to sit on the couch.

Rufus didn't show any sign of victory but he just acted like it was all business. "First off, is there a way where we can contact her? I need to see her face to face. I'll make someone to get her from your place," Rufus started as he went back to his desk and searched for something.

Cloud thought for a moment, "Reno lives next door." Cloud pulled out his cell phone and dialed Reno's number. Was there really nothing he could do?

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Tifa was on the balcony hanging the clothes when she saw a few vans parked just outside the apartment compound. "That's weird. Those had been there since this morning," she said to herself but she continued her work anyway.

She had finished doing the laundry when the door bell rang. "Yes! I'm coming!" She placed the laundry basket and headed towards the door.

To her surprise, it was Reno. "Cloud's not home," she said. "I know. He asked me to pick you up. Lock the house. We're heading to Shinra's mansion," Reno sounded serious which was very unlikely.

"Look, I'll just make a call to confirm it first okay," Tifa looked at him weirdly. Reno pulled out his cell phone and gave it to Tifa. "He's on the line," he simply said.

Tifa placed the cell phone on her ear and heard Cloud's voice, "Just follow him. I'll explain everything when you reached here." And then he hung up. Why were there a lot of strange things happening today?

"I'll take the house key for a while," Tifa said and went inside to grab the house keys. Once she locked the door, Reno led her to his car which was parked at the alley behind the apartment area. She got in without any question and the car sped off.

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Tifa couldn't believe her eyes or her ears. 'What in the world is going on?' She looked at the newspaper that was handed to her by Rufus. She gulped and calmed herself. She looked at Rufus in a questioning manner.

"I know you're his chaperon when they went to Gold Saucer and you're the singer on our anniversary night," Rufus stated. Tifa just waited for him to continue. "Do you know that it is strictly forbidden in our company to have romantic relationships for the new artist?" He asked.

Tifa nodded weakly. She turned slightly to Cloud who just remained quiet since the beginning. "And this is the reason why," he said as he pointed to the newspaper in her hand. Tifa held the papers tightly in her hand that it made them crumpled.

"I'm not going to make it sound like its okay since it is not. So, you help him choose whether it's his career or you," Rufus said and looked at the two.

Tifa creased her brows, "But we were never in that kind of relationship." Rufus crossed his arms. "But the media thinks so. And we at Shinra Entertainment don't want our investment on these new artists to go down the drain just like that."

Tifa bit her lower lip while thinking, 'Why isn't he talking? Why doesn't he say something?' Tifa looked at Vincent, Cid and then to Zack. They all were so excited when they got the offer from Shinra. And Yuffie finally found what she could do and enjoying her work.

Tifa closed her eyes and rose from her seat. "I'll move out from the apartment."

All eyes were set on her. "That I'm afraid won't change anything. They will still continue to expose your identity," Rufus said back.

"Then, I leave the covering up part for you. I don't care what will you do or how you're gonna do it. You people are good at it don't you?" Tifa asked unable to hide the sarcasm behind her voice. Rufus just laugh half-heartedly.

"It won't do any good if the damage will be done again and again," Rufus replied raising his brow slightly.

Tifa looked at Rufus directly, "I won't contact any of them again. I'll disappear from all of you." Yuffie was about to object but Zack stopped her. It wasn't the right thing to do at the moment.

It was Rufus turn to think for a moment. "Okay then. You really don't care about how we handle things like this?" he asked once again.

"No, and I hope all of you get the best out of everything," she said and headed to the door. Tifa opened it and exited, unsure about her own feelings at the moment.

"Wait! Tifa!" She heard Cloud called her name. She stopped but she didn't turn. "I disagree with your plan," he stated as he stopped behind her. Tifa took long and deep breath to calm herself. It was easy when it was with Rufus but when it came to Cloud, it was damn hard.

"I will move out from that apartment. You just stay there. I can live at the company's apartment," he started. "No, that's your house in the first place. I'm gonna find my own place," Tifa stood by her decision.

"Tifa, this isn't the time to be stubborn. Listen to me," he took a step forward. Tifa turned to face him quickly with a warning glare. Cloud got the hint and stopped his feet from moving.

"Please listen just this once. I know I made a mistake that night. I wasn't clearly thinking and I'm sorry," he said looking apologetic. Tifa suddenly feel her heart broke when she heard that coming out from his mouth. He thought it was a mistake.

"And at the apartment…" he was cut off. "Stop it already. It's just a mistake for you huh?" her voice was low but clear. Cloud looked at the brunette. She didn't raise her head. "Let's make it easy shall we?" she said.

"I'll move out from your apartment as soon as tonight. You can do whatever you want with it. I'm gonna find a place far from here and this thing…" she paused as she took out her cell phone and shoved it to Cloud. "That way we'll really never cross path again."

Without waiting for his response, Tifa turned her heels and walked out of the place as fast as she could. She realized not a single tear fell and she knew that she was going to grow up strong.

A/N – I know I made Tifa sounded bitter at the end..i just can't help it…


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

Tifa looked around the new cleaned place around her in satisfaction. She had finally managed to find a small place that was left for a long time. It was a shop house lot and she somehow got a very affordable price for it.

It was located in Edge, just on the outskirt of Midgar. She knew she told them she would go far but this was the farthest she could go.

She turned to the blonde girl beside her with a huge grin, "We made it Elena!" Elena just nodded and returned her smile. They met each other after Tifa left Cloud's apartment. While searching for a place, Tifa came across her who was working at a family restaurant.

Tifa didn't tell Elena what exactly happened between her and Cloud nor did she ever mention about meeting him here. Tifa only told her that she was looking for a place and Elena took her in for some time.

Then, when Tifa managed to find this place, Tifa told her about her plan of opening a small bar because it had been her dream to manage one. Elena gladly quitted her low-paid job to help Tifa set up the business.

It was risky but that was the Nibelheim spirit. Another person who they came across while finding a supplier for the bar's raw material was Johnny. He was also from Nibelheim but he was working at the local supermarket.

Sometimes he would drop by to see if there was anything he could help around the bar. Tifa was happy to meet her friends back and was even more ecstatic when they offered some help.

"So, what are you gonna call this place?" Elena asked as she looked around the completed bar, unable to hid her joy. Tifa bit her lower lips. She had thought about some names but only one seemed to be right to her.

"I have one suggestion but don't laugh when you hear it okay?" Tifa asked. Elena just nodded and turned to face her ex-schoolmate. "Seventh Heaven," Tifa said and it made Elena's face ceased.

"Seventh Heaven?" Elena repeated and Tifa nodded. "It sounds good to me," Elena's smile melted Tifa's worry. "Then Seventh Heaven it is!"

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"That's it AVALANCHE, the world tour plan. We'll start the first concert here in Midgar and the last one at Edge," the tour planner concluded their meeting.

Cloud just nodded and rose from his seat, following the manager's lead from his back.

"After this we got practice, so be back after lunch," Yuffie reminded them. All of them just nodded in acknowledgement. "I'm so hungry! Let's grab a bite!" Zack announced as he stretched his back.

"Yeah, I know there's a new restaurant where the waitresses are all good looking. Wanna pay a visit?" Cid suggested. "Oh really? Where? Count me in!" Zack's eyes shone. Vincent just shrugged and said, "I don't mind as long as we get to eat."

They all waited for Cloud to respond. Cloud turned, "You guys go ahead. I got something to talk about with the manager," and he went out of the room.

Yuffie just looked past him worriedly. It had almost been two years since that happened. Even they had released their album and now planning for their world tour concert. Although Cloud said he was alright and he knew he made the right decision, but sometimes, Yuffie saw regret and disappointment in his eyes.

And ever since then, it had always been work, work and more work. He hadn't taken a single day leave for two years. Everyone knew he was trying his best not to let his emotion became a hindrance in their works and they all respected him for that.

Although Zack was the leader in AVALANNCHE, it seemed like Cloud was doing more work than he was. It was obviously to distract himself from thinking too much.

Cloud closed the door behind him as he sat on the couch in the waiting room. There was no one else in the room and he was thankful for that. He leaned back and blew out his breath. They all gave him the same look again.

He pretended her didn't notice but hell, even a cat would notice that. How long had it been? 1 year? No, more than 2 years already. He didn't know why it was hard for him to let go of the memory. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled something out.

It was her cell phone. He just stared at it and although no one used it anymore, he always charged it just to make sure it would stay beside him. He knew he was being an idiot for acting the way he was but emotions weren't something that he could control.

He held the phone in his hand tightly.

Regret was clearly reflected in his eyes. If only he was brave enough to stand for what he really wanted to 2 years ago, maybe she would have stayed beside him now. But he was much of a coward. Just because he didn't want to let his band members down, he let her go.

In the end, he was the one who suffered for he thought was the right decision. He knew Zack, Vincent, Cid and even Yuffie felt guilty for not supporting him back then. He didn't blame them, because he never relied on them and never would be.

He closed his eyes but he quickly opened them as he knew where would this ended. He got up on his feet and shook his head. He blew out his breath quickly and shoved the phone back into his pocket

"That's why I need to work," he said to himself and left the room.

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"Elena, table 2!" Tifa called from behind the bar as she placed the order on the top of the counter. "I'm on it!" Elena replied as she took the order. It was only their third day of business and so far, they got so many customers, thanks to Johnny's advertisement.

"Tifa! I've come with the supply!" Johnny's voice was heard from the back. "Thanks Johnny! Sorry to make you come all the way from the supermarket," Tifa replied.

Johnny poked his head into the bar and raised his brows in amazement. Although there were only the two of them running the bar, they seemed to be quite excellent in it. "You can go back now. I'll drop by your store after things slow down a little," Tifa said as she saw Johnny.

"Ack that was cold!" he said pretended to sound hurt. Tifa laughed a little at this. "I told my boss I was going to help around here for a while," Johnny said as he took an apron that was hung on the wall and put it on without being asked.

"Oh… that's so sweet," Elena who had just arrived at the counter said in a lovable voice. "Now, help me out with the orders will you," her voice suddenly changed as she took the orders and walked away to give them to the customer.

"Yeah yeah! I'm on it!" Johnny said as he swiftly took 3 plates of order and marched his way to the customers.

Tifa smiled at this while her hands didn't stop moving from making the dishes that were ordered by the customers.

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It was almost midnight and the bar was closed. The three friends from Nibelheim were sitting and chatting casually about the day. "I'm so tired!" Johnny said as he drank his drink in one gulp.

"But it sure is satisfying," Tifa said as she stretched herself. Elena agreed, "Better than anything else," she added.

Johnny looked at the two girls and suddenly remembered something. "Hey you girls know that AVALANCHE is coming to town?" he asked out of the blue. Upon hearing the name, Tifa almost choked her drink and she coughed.

"What?" her voice was hoarse. "AVALANCHE is coming to town. For their around the world tour," Johnny replied. "Really?" Elena asked sounded almost uninterested.

"What's with that attitude?" Johnny looked at her in horror. "All the girls in town are crazy about it. And that is the best you can do?" Johnny said. Elena just blew out her breath.

"Come on. There's our senior in it. So far, it seems like he hadn't changed one bit since the last time I met him," Elena said. Johnny just nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but I like their music. So much energy and I always listen to their album," Johnny said back, not wanting to retreat. "Yeah sure," Elena said, not caring.

Johnny just let out a sigh. "Come to think of it, he was quite close to you back then, right Tifa?" Elena wanted to change the subject. Tifa who was occupied with her thoughts snapped back, "Who?"

"Cloud, he always walked behind you every time we finished school. No matter how late we were," Elena recalled. She noticed that Cloud had always waited for them, although not directly, to go back home.

At first, she thought she was over thinking about it but when the night where they were extremely late because of preparing for the school festival, she realized the truth. Cloud wasn't keen in involving in the school activities, so Elena did some investigation on him.

It was true, he didn't take part in his class preparation and it was particularly strange for him to wait that late at school by himself. That was when she knew the truth. He was waiting for Tifa. Elena and Tifa always went home late and the way to Tifa's house was slightly darker and longer than her own.

He was being her guardian without her realizing it. Maybe he was afraid to say anything. Tifa herself had several times confessed to her that she had never been asked on a date. It shocked Elena at first because Elena admitted that she was pretty and attractive. But somehow, boys were afraid at her because of she was independent, maybe too independent.

"That's simply because their houses were on the same direction," Johnny replied since Tifa decided not to say anything. "Well, you live in the same direction too. Have you ever waited for her?" Elena asked him back.

Johnny just shrugged. "Anyway, this topic is not fun!" Johnny announced and it made Tifa glad. She didn't want to think about it at the moment, not when she had just managed to suppress her feelings.

"It's nice that you girls managed to make your dreams come true. I have a dream but so far, I haven't been able to work towards it," Johnny said. It made the girls looked at him. "Really, what is it?" Tifa asked.

"Well, seeing the Shinra Company had been successful, I'm inspired to open a talent agency just like they did," Johnny started. "Talent agency?" Elena asked.

Johnny rose from his seat, "Yup, not just to find talents but also to make the stars shine!"

Tifa and Elena just waited for him to continue. "And in that company, we will train young boys to sing and dance to produce the most amazing young artists in history. I will be the world famous Johnny!" He said full in enthusiasm.

"Wow," the girls just gasped. "And someday, we will make everyone from the North, East, West and South to gather under one name. Also, the name of this amazing company is Johnny's Entertainment!" Johnny spoke at a very high and proud voice.

"So, what do you think?" Johnny returned to his old self and waited for the girls to respond.

The girls looked at each other and said, "Don't forget to bring your boys to eat here when you are successful! We're looking forward to it!"

* * *

A/N – and that's how Johnny's Entertainment started… just kidding! I just wanted to 'unleash my imagination'… 


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

It had been a few weeks already since Johnny mentioned about AVALANCHE coming to town. And not surprisingly, it had been the talk of the town. Everywhere she went she would see their posters hanging.

Now that it was only a day before the concert, the venue of the concert was already opened up for a carnival. They sold the tour goodies. It made Tifa felt really out of place.

"Hey, you seem different lately," Elena stated as she put the last glass she had just washed on the rack.

"Really? You're just imagining things," Tifa said in dismissal. She turned her face away from Elena. Elena didn't feel satisfied with her answer.

"Am I? I'm not Johnny you know. I know something's wrong. And I know it got something to do with what Johnny mentioned a few weeks ago," Elena went to face her long term friend.

Tifa sighed and poured some drink for them. She took a seat and just stared at her drink. Elena joined her and sat beside her, waiting for Tifa to open her mouth.

"Is there anything going on between the two of you?" Elena asked. Tifa took a sip of her drink. She was really troubled with her thoughts.

"You're one lucky girl. Having such a man that had been looking out for you since high school and you're sighing about it now," Elena said as she looked around the bar.

Tifa just ignored her comment. She didn't know the truth. Actually, Tifa was scared with the thought of seeing him again even if it was just on the screen. The thoughts of him near her also made her heart felt like it was going to explode.

Tifa looked into her half- empty glass while in deep thoughts. "Do you still love him?" Elena asked in a low voice. Tifa turned slightly. "I don't know how I feel anymore."

Elena just let out a small laugh but then she turned to Tifa, "Then why aren't you taking off that ring?" Elena sounded serious all of a sudden as she held Tifa's hand, showing off the ring on her finger. Tifa just looked at Elena, "Loving and forgetting are two different things. I may not have that feelings anymore but I can't get him off my mind."

"May?" Elena repeated as she raised her brows.

Tifa just looked defeated. Elena picked up their glasses and washed them at the sink. She packed up her stuff and turned, "I'm going to the concert tomorrow. Johnny asked me to come along. You wanna switch place?" Elena asked.

Tifa shook her head, "No, you guys go on ahead and have fun." Elena just shrugged. "Suit yourself. Don't forget to lock the door," Elena said as she headed towards the door.

Once she opened it, she held it and turned slightly, "Isn't it the time for you to take some actions? Just waiting here won't do you any good," and with that she closed the door behind her, leaving a dazed off Tifa with her own thoughts.

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The store's business wasn't good that day. And she wasn't feeling well that day. Tifa wiped her nose with a tissue. She was catching a cold.

By evening most of her customers had left because most of them had plans for tonight. Tifa knew the reason, AVALANCHE's concert was supposed to be held that night.

Tifa sighed at the sight of Elena closing the bar as Johnny waited for her outside. "Hurry up, the queue is going to be long," Johnny called out. "Wait a second!" Elena replied in annoyance.

She turned slightly to Tifa. Tifa just gave her a small smile and waved at her. "Enjoy your evening!"

Elena narrowed her eyes while shaking her head, "I will. I hope you too and rest up. In case you haven't notice, you're got a cold. And I left my car here for tonight. The key is on the counter," and left the bar.

Tifa sighed as she sat on one of the stool. Ever since this morning, she wasn't able to focus at all, knowing the fact that he was just a few miles away from her.

She looked around the empty bar and wondered to herself. What did he really think of when she left that night? He told her that he didn't agree with her plan but he didn't suggest anything either. Tifa figured it was best for her to retreat, which she did.

Suddenly Elena's words rang in her ears. _"Isn't it the time for you to take some actions? Just waiting here won't do you any good."_ "Ugh!" she slammed her fist on the table and the feeling of pain immediately took over her sense.

"Ouch!" she blew on her fist. It was stupid for her to do that. She quickly went upstairs and took a hat and a pair of glasses. She rushed downstairs and took Elena's car keys.

"I need some air," she said to no one and closed the bar. Outside, she almost bumped into a man and she looked up at him.

"It's you again!" the man smile and it almost made her gag. He picked the wrong moment to appear. "What do you want Don Corneo?" she asked coldly as she walked towards Elena's car across the street.

"Nothing, I just think that we were meant to be together since we keep on bumping onto each other," he replied as he followed behind her. Tifa felt very irritated and annoyed with this man's persistency. Somehow that night, she didn't feel afraid or fear at all. She just felt very agitated and angry.

"In your dreams," she murmured but Don Corneo heard her. He pulled her by her left elbow and it was obviously a wrong move. As Tifa felt his filthy hand touched her, she turned swiftly and gave him a firm punch on his face.

She was never that angry before and she knew she put all of her energy into her fist. "That hurt!" he complained as his face looked bruise a little. He looked up at her but without warning; she used her leg to kick him on his groin, hard.

The man doubled over and grunted something under his breath.

"You come across my vision line again, and you'll be incompetent," she said between her clenched teeth and got into Elena's car. She started the engine and drove off. In her rear-view mirror, he saw Don Corneo trying to get up but fall again.

Tifa blew out her breath roughly, feeling a little content, 'No wonder man likes to fight.'

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Tifa wasn't sure how she ended up at that place that night. She had rounded the whole town with Elena's car and the gas tank was nearly emptied. She looked at the car's watch. It was late already.

She parked her car by the roadside and looked around. This was where the concert was supposed to be held. She gulped as she came out of the car. There were a group of fans that seemed unable to enter the stadium and they just watched the concert from a huge screen outside of the stadium.

Tifa stood at the very back and heard them cheering and laughing as the band performed. She took a deep breath and looked up at the screen. Zack's face appeared as he talked with the audience. The concert had almost ended.

"And we would also like to thank our concerts' sponsor and all of you for coming here tonight! It had been fun and please come and see us whenever we hit the town again!"

Zack smiled and blew a flying kiss to the crowd which responded with more cheering and shouting. Zack smiled mischievously.

"And to wrap things up, the last song…" he stopped and turned to his side. "I'll let Cloud do the honor," he said and smiled.

The camera shifted to Cloud. Tifa's heart skipped a beat but she was unable to divert her eyes. The blonde held his microphone and placed it on the stand.

"This last song goes out for you. Wherever you are and whatever you do, there are times where you feel like you've done the right thing but in the end, all of it just hurt those important people. And you wish that maybe somehow, you can undone those mistakes," Cloud said and then he paused.

He looked at the camera, and Tifa felt as if he was looking directly at her. She stopped breathing immediately.

"This song is for you," he added, not moving his eyes from the camera. Tifa heard some of the girls around her squealed but she ignored them. Their partners just rolled their eyes in response.

"We're here to hear them sing not your screaming," a boy said to a girl. "It's your fault we couldn't get into the stadium!" the girl replied.

"Shh… it's starting," another girl silenced them.

The lights on the stage were turned off and there was a soft sound of guitar. Slowly the light focused on the center of the stage, on Cloud.

**saa ai wo sagashite mite goran fukai mori no mukou e to**

**(real love, my dear, is not for sale.)**

**zutto me wo korashitemo boku wa mitsukerarenakatta kedo**

**(real love, my dear, is hard to find.)**

_go on, look for love, to the otherside of the deep woods  
(real love, my dear, is not for sale)  
no matter how I strained my eyes looking, I never could find it but...  
(real love, my dear, is hard to find)  
_

The lights started to lit up the whole stage and Tifa felt her heart beating faster and faster. Catching a cold at the moment didn't matter. All that important was she was too stunned to move.

**kiite sekaijuu ga ayamachi ni kegarete itemo**

**kimi e tsunaida te wa itsumademo hanasanai kara**

**sore dake wa shinjite ii yo**

_listen, even if the whole world is corrupted by sin  
I'll never let go of the hand I hold in mine  
that's all you need have faith in  
_

The camera shifted to Zack who didn't seem to notice it and he had a serious look on his face. A face Tifa had never seen. Zack had always been the cheerful one.

**yatto te wo nobashite tsukanda ureshikute dakishimeta**

**(real faith, my dear, is far too fake.)**

**sore wa totemo hakanakute sugu ni karete kusatta yo**

**(real faith, my dear, is just a dream.)**

_at long last I reached out and grabbed hold, happilly embracing you  
(real faith, my dear, is far too fake)  
it passed so quickly, and soon withered to rot.  
(real faith, my dear, is just a dream)  
_

**itsuka sekaijuu ga yorokobi to meguriau koro**

**kimi to deaetetara togirenai kanashimi nante**

**kesshite misenakatta noni**

_If I could have met you  
when the whole world at last found joy  
I would have never shown you  
this endless sadness_

**Where can it be... in my heart.**

_Where can it be... in my heart_

There was a long hold on the last note. But Cloud's eyes never leave the camera. It suddenly felt as if he was staring right into her soul although that was impossible.

Tifa felt her cheeks got wet and she realized she was crying. She took off her fake glasses and wiped them away.

**kiite sekaijuu ga ayamachi ni kegarete itemo**

**kimi e tsunaida te wa itsumademo hanasanai kara**

**tatoe kono omoi sae... uso ni omowaretemo**

**kimi e no kagayaki wa itsumademo furisosoideru**

**sore dake wa shinjite ii yo**

_listen, even if the whole world is corrupted by sin  
I'll never let go of the hand I hold in mine  
even supposing, you feel like this feeling... is a lie  
that radiance will forever rain upon you  
that's all you need have faith in_

The song ended with a cheer inside the stadium but for the people with her, there was only silence. Tifa looked around and saw some couples were holding hands while some of the girls cried, like her.

The couple that fought earlier, they seemed to have made up. The boy had his hand on the girl's shoulders, and saying something to the crying girl. The girl just nodded and cleaned her face.

"Come on, let's go there. They're going to come out in 15 minutes. AVALANCHE will go out first before the security let the audience out," a girl pulled her friend to wait at the stadium entrance.

Tifa just remained at where she had been standing while the entrance had already crowded with the fans. Tifa felt she should leave but she just wanted to see a glance of him. It was just to prove to herself that she wasn't holding on to him. Then, she would be satisfied.

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"Hurry up, we're going out before the fans do. If not, you'll have to push through," the security said as he held the door.

He pushed the door open and there was a small crowd waiting for AVALANCHE outside. It was usual for this to happen because at every concert there would be fans waiting to catch a glance at their favorite artist.

Cloud waited at the back as he let Vincent, Cid and Zack to go out first. That way, he could be prepared if the fans tried to do anything funny to them. Once he saw Vincent had stepped out, he followed.

Their van was waiting by the roadside where Yuffie was. The scream of the female fans almost made him deaf. It was obvious Zack's work. He was teasing the crowd.

Cloud smiled a little. After tonight they could rest for some time. It was very tiring but he felt contented.

Then, a figure standing a little farther from the crowd caught his eyes. 'No way,' he thought as he looked at the figure.

Although she was wearing a hat and a glasses, but he could recognize her immediately. Their eyes met, and there was something in her eyes flickered. He felt the time stopped.

But then, she started to move and turned away, as if she was caught doing something wrong. Cloud moved instinctively and pushed his way through Vincent, Cid and Zack. They looked at him strangely.

His eyes never moved from the retreating figure. Zack was about to pull him but Vincent stopped Zack. Zack looked at Vincent in confusion. "He must have his reason."

A/N – the song used in this chapter is My Dear by L'arc en Ciel… this is my most favourite song… especially when I understand what the song is about… and it was this song that inspired me to write this fanfic… the melody and lyric were done by Hyde himself… and there's no reason for not liking the song.


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17**

Tifa walked away as fast as her feet could. Her heart was thumping and she was breathing hard. She felt as if she had finished a marathon. "I knew it was a bad idea to come here," she murmured under her breath.

Once she saw Elena's car, she trotted to it as she fished out the keys. She quickly entered it and locked the door, feeling insecure. She took off her hat angrily and put the glasses on the dashboard. "No use," she said as she started the engine.

Without waiting any longer, she gave signal and drove away from that place. She had never felt like this. It was like she was on the run for some crimes. Tifa looked at the rear-view mirror and was glad when she saw no one was following her.

She took a turn into a long and deserted road. She tapped her fingers on the steering. In her head, she couldn't get the image of his eyes shot directly into hers. It was like he knew she was there.

Tifa sniffed back her now runny nose. "Perfect," she complained but she was disturbed by the headlights from the vehicle behind her. She glanced at the rear-view mirror and could guess it was a bike. "No way!'

Only one thought crossed her mind. She stepped on the gas as hard as she could and the car gave a loud roar before it dashed. Tifa couldn't focus on the road as she kept on glancing to the back.

"Don't let it be him!" she prayed silently but as the headlights turned brighter, she knew that was him.

"Why must he bring along his bike to his concert?" she spoke to herself and pressed the pedal even harder. But it seemed like the rider wasn't going to give up as he sped even faster.

Seeing the bike closing in, Tifa concentrated her thoughts on the road. The rider was next to her, giving her signal to slow down. She ignored it totally.

From outside, Cloud sped his bike to keep up with the car she was driving. Although she never turned her head to look at him, he knew that was her. There was no mistaking it.

The way she let her hair covered the side of her face was already familiar to him.

"Slow down!" he yelled, trying to fight off the noises from the car and his bike. She didn't respond to him. He knew she wasn't going to be easy on him.

He held his bike's handles tighter and resorted to one last move. He closed in and took over the car.

Tifa stepped on the brake as Cloud suddenly took over the car and swerved his bike to block her way. Her car was going so fast that she couldn't stop it in time. She heard the sound of metals banged and the loud noises of screeching.

Tifa panted as she looked at the road and could no longer see him on the bike. Rather, he was on the road, lying face down. "Oh my god!"

She didn't think twice, the image of him lying in a pool of blood clouded her mind. She turned off the engine and pulled out the keys. She unlocked the door and ran towards him.

Hearing her footsteps towards him, Cloud supported his body using his elbows, in order to get up.

The first word that came out from her mouth was, "What the hell were you thinking?" and she bent down to help him. Cloud wasn't seriously injured but he scratched his bike for sure. Cloud caught his breath while trying to get up.

"You were going fast and you're not stopping," he replied. Tifa blew out her breath, "And that was stupid."

She helped him to get up but half way, his eyes met hers. It was as if the time stopped moving. Tifa could see the questions in his eyes and the pain. She contributed to that.

She averted his eyes quickly and let him stood on his feet. Seeing that he was able to get up, she turned to get to the car. "Wait!" he said while pulling her right wrist.

"Let go of my hand," she commanded and it sounded as if he was a poison to her. Cloud looked at her hand and then her fingers. His eyes gleamed a little, 'So, there's still hope.'

They were interrupted by the sound of vehicles coming from their back. "Oh shit! That's them!" Cloud cursed as he recognized that van immediately. Behind it was several other media vans, obviously they were following him.

Tifa tried to pull her hand but his grip was tight. It seemed like her cold wasn't her priority right now. Getting away from this man was.

"Let's go," he said and pulled her with him. Tifa stopped halfway, "I have my car!"

"Those are the reporters, and it'll be easier to run away with a bike than with a car," Cloud said in a way that made it sounded like it was true.

Tifa didn't oppose when he pulled her again and he lifted his bike. He started the bike, "Hop on," he said and she followed. She felt as if she was betraying her own words.

But then, when he started to speed off, she clutched on the back handle to keep herself on the bike. It was thrilling to feel the night wind against her skin. Her hair was flowing freely and she was sure that she would end up like a banshee.

Cloud turned slightly to the brunette behind him. She seemed to be enjoying the ride. At least she wasn't resisting any more. Cloud smiled a little. The truth was he didn't even know where they were heading. All he knew that he wanted to be alone with her.

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Tifa wondered where he was taking her to. She looked around at the unfamiliar place. 'Where is this place?' she wondered in her head.

Tifa leaned forward a little, "Stop the bike," she said out loud against the wind. Cloud heard her but he decided not to listen to her. He was heading to a place only he knew existed, a place where the whole of Midgar could be seen. A place where he often went whenever he felt out of it.

"Stop the bike!" Tifa repeated, this time half shouting. Cloud just smirked before he pressed the handle more, "Hold tight!"

Tifa felt like she was going to fall any time soon. Was this the way he rode his bike? It was a surprise he was still in one piece.

Tifa just let him took her to a secluded place, as his bike pulled to a stop near the edge of a valley. Tifa quickly got off the bike and stood a little farther away from him.

"Where's this place? What do you want?" She shut her mouth when she noticed how harsh it sounded. Cloud on the other hand just remained on the bike while looking ahead with a peaceful look on his face. Tifa followed his gaze. It was Midgar, and from where they stood, it looked majestic.

"So, this is your secret hideout?" she asked but she silently agreed with him. It was a splendid sight.

"You're ruining the air with your questions," Cloud replied, looking at her direction.

Tifa just remained quiet when he looked at her. Cloud noticed the difference in her voice. Maybe she caught a cold.

"I'm sorry," she said almost immediately but then she realized he was the one who should be sorry. "Wait! Why am I apologizing? You're the one who kidnapped me and brought me here," she said.

Cloud crossed his arms, "Well, if you don't suddenly showed up in front of me after disappearing for more than 2 years maybe I wouldn't have kidnapped you," he replied with the same amount of sarcasm.

Tifa just looked away and grunted. "As if."

Cloud blew his sigh in defeated. "Fine, I'm sorry for what happened that day. I should've thought better," his voice contained guilt. When he saw no respond from her, he approached her slowly.

Then, she started to speak, "I understand why you choose AVALANCHE. If I were in your place, I would've done the same. That's what you guys had been doing ever since you met each other."

Cloud stopped right behind her, looking pass her shoulders towards Midgar. There was a moment of silence between them.

"But what you said that night made me realized it," she said and paused, playing back the memories in her head. "You said you made a mistake." There was a long pause and Cloud's brows ceased.

"For you it's just a mistake. But I…" she stopped and released a heavy sigh. "I never regret anything. Not a single thing."

Cloud blinked his eyes in disbelief. Then, he remembered the ring. He took her hand and raised it to his chest level. Tifa turned to him in confusion.

She eyed him suspiciously. He placed her hand on his chest right on top of his heart. Tifa felt his steady heart beats and looked at him. Cloud didn't move and neither did she. She wasn't sure if she should pull her hand back or just let it be.

"Feel that?" he asked. Tifa thought it was a weird thing to ask. Of course she felt that. Unless he's dead then she wouldn't feel it. Tifa nodded but still not moving her eyes from him.

"I thought I lost you when you left. You were so determined for us not to cross path again," he said in a serious tone. Tifa slowly pulled her hand back. She took a step back.

"Let's not start that again," Tifa said softly. She took more than two years of occupying herself with work to get him off her mind. She wouldn't want to repeat that ever again. Those two years were the longest and hardest time for her.

"Tifa," he started but she cut him off, "I've had it already." Cloud watched her intensely. Why wouldn't she give him any chance to say anything? "I don't think I can keep up with your ways anymore," she admitted.

"I've been in love with you ever since you came to my house on the day my parents died. I thought 'Yeah, he's the one. Only he can hear me,' and you've been very nice to me since forever. But you know lately, I think it's not working this way. No matter how hard I tried, I can't seem to see things your way," for the first time in her life, Tifa said something that came from the bottom of her heart.

"I got nothing to lose now Cloud," she said as she looked to her side. "Not you, not myself, not anyone."

Cloud looked at her solemnly. The damage she had was so much more than he had. At least he had Zack, Vincent, Cid and Yuffie. Even Barret, Marlene and Denzel sometimes would pay him a visit. They all knew about her and they all tried their best to cheer him up.

"Let's just let each other go. I think it's best for us not to meet again. I don't think I can forget you but then, there's more to life than having someone you love to love you back right? There are many sources of happiness in this world. And I'm contented with what I have now," Tifa said and slowly retreated.

There was a deep look in her eyes. They both know she was hiding the truth.

"And I can't see how the way you look at things either. So what?" It was Cloud's turn to speak. Tifa met his eyes. "I don't see what's so important for you to see things my way. Tifa, you're you. And I'm me. We're 2 different people. You're the opposite of me, we completely have nothing in common except for the fact that we're from Nibelheim."

"And you know what? That difference that draws you to me." He took a step forward to her. Tifa just looked away, feeling defeated. The feelings that she restrained for the past two years came back flowing in without caution.

"And most importantly Tifa," he paused and Tifa felt as if he was hovering over her like a predator. Without warning, he pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. It was so firm that it almost made her belief that the ache she felt during those two years was false.

He held her hair and her waist closely, feeling her comforting presence at that moment. He breathed against her hair and closed his eyes. Then, he felt her sobbed. She didn't push him away, so he took it as a good sign.

"Why do you always like this?" her voice was low, he barely could hear her. He didn't say anything but he just held her tighter. He brushed her hair and they bodies swayed a little as she sobbed.

"Why do you always like this?" again she repeated but this time, she cried. She sniffed against his shoulders. He was crushing her with his embrace but she felt safe and warm. "I can't let you go Tifa," he whispered back and it only made her cried even harder.

Tifa couldn't gather any strength anymore, not when she's with him. She broke down like when her parents died and she depended on him to stand. Cloud didn't seem to mind. He was hoping that would happen, hoping that she would find him reliable and depend on him.

He let her cried her heart out and he was sure what his feeling was. It was not just him being protective or looking out for her like he had been since high school. It was something deeper and strong.

When her cries subsided to only sobs, he parted a little to look at her face. She just looked down and cleaned her face with both of her hands. Cloud was sure she was blushing and it made her seemed more fragile.

"I can't let you go Tifa, ever again." He stated in a soft tone. "Because I love you," his words were nothing more than a whisper but she felt as if a thunder had just struck her heart.

Seeing her shocked expression, Cloud thought, 'I knew words aren't enough to convince her.'

Still with one hand on her shoulder while the other one on her waist, Cloud closed the distance between them as he kissed her slightly parted lips. Tifa wasn't sure what shocked her more, his words or his kiss. 'Why does he always do this?'

She didn't respond, it was expected, but Cloud didn't stop. He loved to taste her; he loved how his lips brushed against her soft ones. Tifa's heart nearly stopped when she felt his lips boldly landed on hers. Not only that, he seemed confident and determined.

Tifa took all of her logical senses to pull her head back and broke the kiss. As his kiss was broken down out of the blue, Cloud's eyes snapped open. There was hurt in those blue eyes. His breath was warm against her cheeks.

Tifa saw his expression. "No, it's not like that. I'm having a cold," Tifa reminded him and relief filled his heart. "That's why I stopped you," she said awkwardly.

Cloud just looked into her eyes with a smile on his face. She thought too much. "I'll have more time off then," he replied. Tifa's eyes widened at his reply but it was temporary.

Tifa brushed away his bangs that were covering his face. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she added while trying to hide a smile. Cloud looked around for a while. "It won't be often for us to have a moment like this," Cloud said and turned back to her.

He didn't waste any more time and claimed back her lips. Tifa felt sure right then, 'He's really the one.'

She kissed him back and her hands curled his neck to make the kiss more firm. The ring on her finger felt as if it was radiating heat from him into her.

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A/N – There you go… final Cloti moment… this is the second last chapter and the next will be the epilogue. But I still don't have any idea of what to write in it. Thanks for all of your time to read and review this story… I had so much fun writing it and I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I did. Please enjoy all the songs that I've used in this fanfic too. 


	18. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

"You are so evil," Cloud stated to Yuffie as he walked passed her. Yuffie just gave him a glance. "No exception even if you're having a cold."

Cloud sighed as he took his seat behind the table. Today, they were on a fan meeting session and autographing session. Cloud placed his head in his hands and closed his eyes. Zack turned to him, feeling sorry for the blonde.

Everyone knew Cloud was having a cold but Yuffie still wouldn't excuse him for this event. She said he could have his rest after the session ended.

"Okay, ready now? We're letting the fans in," the store manager announced and opened the door. As soon as the door opened, fans started to flooded in and it took 10 men to settle them down and form a line.

Cloud blew out his breath and tried to act normal despite not feeling well because he knew these people came from everywhere just to see them. The least he could do was appreciate them.

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Vincent glanced to Cloud who seemed like he was going to pass out anytime even though he was trying his best to be nice to the fans. After the last one thanked him and walked away happily, Cloud dropped his head on the table.

"At last," he said under his breath.

At the door, some voices caught Vincent's ears and he looked over. The guard was speaking to a lady. Apparently the lady was late and the session was already over. Cid and Zack had already on their feet stretching while didn't move from his position.

Vincent recognized the lady's voice immediately. He smiled to himself. "Let her in," Vincent called out to the guard. Cid and Zack turned to him in confusion. When the lady entered the store, both of them gasped and didn't move as she walked in.

Vincent just nodded in acknowledgement and the lady motioned for them to remain quiet. She stopped right in front of Cloud.

"Cloud, she's the last one," Zack said after some time. Cloud just murmured something like, "I'm already asleep."

The lady smiled, "Can I have your autograph?"

Upon hearing her memorable voice, Cloud's head shot up and looked at her. The brunette just laughed a little at his reaction. "You're here?" he dumbly asked.

Tifa just looked around, "It seems like it."

"You don't seem well," she said then paused. "I've warned you yesterday," she added silently. Cloud just shrugged.

"Well, it can't be helped. I've already made a reservation," she said as she pulled him to stand up. Cloud almost stumbled. "Where are we going?" he asked but followed her.

"It's a secret. Guys, I'm borrowing him for this evening!" Tifa announced to the rest of the members and pulled Cloud out of the store. Zack waved, "Be nice and play safe!"

Tifa just smiled sweetly, "It's more than that!" she replied and closed the door behind her. Cloud didn't understand what was going on but he held her hand tightly, not caring where they were heading or why people were looking at them.

All he knew was somehow, things had worked out between the two of them and he wasn't going to repeat the same mistake again. Not now, not later.

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**A/N **– this is the ending everyone. Thanks you for those who took time to read and review. It had been a great help and motivation. And for the last part, it's up to your imagination on where and what they will be doing. **"UNLEASH YOUR IMAGINATION!"**


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